This article was originally published by PharmTech.

1.0 Introduction: Gauging the Pulse of the BioPharma Workforce

This report examines how employment conditions and employee sentiment across the biopharmaceutical industry are changing over time, using a side-by-side analysis of two consecutive workforce surveys. Insights are drawn from the 2024 Employment and Trends Survey (2024 Survey) conducted during Q4 2024 and the 2025 Employment and Trends Surveycompleted in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Together, these data sets illuminate how professionals across the sector are experiencing shifts in pay, perceived job stability, workplace satisfaction, career movement, and expectations for the industry’s future. By comparing responses across both survey periods, the analysis highlights evolving workforce priorities and emerging patterns in talent confidence and mobility. The discussion opens with compensation, a foundational element shaping both retention and engagement in today’s biopharma labor market.

2.0 Analysis of Compensation and Financial Sentiment

Compensation remains a primary driver of employee satisfaction and a critical tool for talent attraction and retention. Its strategic importance cannot be overstated, as shifts in salary trends and employee perceptions of pay directly impact morale and stability. This section examines how salary adjustments and satisfaction levels have evolved between the two survey periods, revealing a workforce facing growing financial pressure.

Analysis of Salary Adjustments

A direct comparison of reported salary changes reveals a notable downturn in positive adjustments and a significant increase in pay decreases (Table I).

The data reveal a stark contraction in compensation growth: the proportion of employees receiving any salary increase fell from 55.65% to 38.64%, while the share of those experiencing a pay cut more than doubled, from 12.09% to 25.00%.

Evaluation of Salary Satisfaction

Mirroring the trend in salary adjustments, overall satisfaction with compensation has also seen a slight decline. In the 2024 Survey, a combined 54.84% of respondents reported being "fully satisfied" (16.13%) or "mostly satisfied" (38.71%) with their salary. In the 2025 Survey, this combined figure fell to 52.27%, with 15.91% feeling "fully satisfied" and 36.36% feeling "mostly satisfied." This erosion in satisfaction, though modest, aligns with the tangible decrease in reported salary gains. These compensation trends signal a tighter financial environment for employees, a factor that directly influences their sense of stability and job security.

3.0 Job Security and Perceptions of Market Stability

Job security is a critical indicator of both industry health and employee confidence. A workforce that feels secure is more likely to be engaged and productive, whereas rising insecurity can foreshadow increased turnover and diminished morale. This section assesses the changes in perceived job security and rates of involuntary job loss to gauge the stability of the biopharma employment environment.

Contrasting Perceived Job Security

The data reveal a significant erosion of confidence among employees. In the 2024 Survey, a majority of respondents (50.81%) felt their job security was "about the same" as the previous year. In the 2025 Survey, this figure decreased to 43.18%. More alarmingly, the percentage of employees feeling "much less secure" in their roles more than doubled, rising from 11.29% in 2024 to 25.00% in 2025.

Examining Involuntary Job Changes

This decline in perceived security is substantiated by a sharp increase in actual involuntary job loss. The percentage of respondents who reported changing jobs involuntarily within the past two years increased from 14.52% in the 2024 Survey to 27.27% in the 2025 Survey. This nearly two-fold increase confirms that the anxieties captured in the sentiment data are a direct reflection of tangible market volatility, such as layoffs or organizational restructuring.

Synthesis of Market Instability

The correlation between declining perceived job security and the steep rise in involuntary separations paints a picture of growing instability within the bio/pharma employment market. This is not merely a shift in sentiment; employee anxieties are demonstrably rooted in market realities. This growing instability in foundational job security compels a deeper look into what, beyond security, is now driving overall job satisfaction in a more turbulent environment.

4.0 Deep Dive into Job Satisfaction and Its Core Drivers

Beyond financial rewards and a sense of security, overall job satisfaction is paramount for fostering the innovation, productivity, and talent retention that the biopharma industry relies on. This section moves beyond security to explore overall satisfaction levels and, more importantly, the specific factors that contribute most significantly to a positive employee experience.

Comparison of Overall Job Satisfaction Levels

The data on overall job satisfaction presents a complex picture of a polarizing employee experience. The percentage of "fully satisfied" employees increased substantially, moving from 14.52% in the 2024 Survey to 29.55% in the 2025 Survey. Simultaneously, however, the cohort of "not satisfied" employees also grew significantly, from 9.68% to 22.73%. This polarization is explained by the collapse of the middle ground: the share of "mostly satisfied" employees shrank dramatically from 53.23% to 29.55%. This suggests the workforce is increasingly divided into two camps—those who are thriving and those who are struggling.

Identifying Key Drivers of Satisfaction

To understand this dynamic, it is essential to examine what employees value most. Table II compares the top five drivers of job satisfaction from each survey, ranked by their weighted average score.

Analysis of Shifting Satisfaction Drivers

This comparison reveals a critical evolution in employee priorities. "Intellectual stimulation" remains the undisputed top driver of satisfaction in both periods, underscoring the importance of meaningful, engaging work in the bio/pharma sector. However, the most significant shift is the rise of "good work/life balance," which jumped from 5th place (3.82 weighted average) to 2nd place (3.91 weighted average) in one year. Conversely, the importance of extrinsic factors like "high salary" (weighted average fell from 3.61 to 3.33) and "job security" (weighted average fell from 3.72 to 3.48) has diminished. This reprioritization suggests that in a market characterized by increasing instability and diminishing salary growth, employees are shifting focus toward intrinsic, controllable factors like personal well-being over extrinsic rewards that now appear less attainable or secure. These shifting priorities are crucial for understanding the decisions employees make about staying with their current employer or seeking opportunities elsewhere.

5.0 Workforce Mobility and Attrition Risk Assessment

Understanding workforce mobility, including voluntary turnover and the underlying desire to leave, is crucial for assessing attrition risk and developing effective retention strategies. This section analyzes employee sentiment and behavior related to job changes to gauge the current and future stability of the bio/pharma workforce.

Analysis of Employee Turnover and Intent

A comparative look at key mobility indicators reveals a workforce that is increasingly open to change, even if the explicit desire to leave has not grown:

• Voluntary job changes (past 2 years): The rate of voluntary turnover saw a slight increase, from 13.71% in the 2024 Survey to 15.91% in the 2025-2026 Survey.

• Desire to leave job (weighted average): The general desire to leave one's current job remained remarkably stable, with a weighted average of 2.52 in the 2024 survey and 2.53 in 2025.

• Expectation to not leave job (weighted average): This is the most telling metric. The weighted average for employees agreeing they "do not expect to leave" their job dropped from 3.51 in the 2024 Survey to 2.75 in the 2025 Survey, indicating a sharp decline in perceived stability and commitment.

• Desire to leave the bio/pharma industry (weighted average): Critically, the desire to exit the industry entirely has grown, with the weighted average increasing from 1.92 in 2024 to 2.16 in 2025.

Synthesis of the Attrition Outlook

The most critical finding from these data is the emergence of a high latent attrition risk. While the active desire to find a new job has not intensified, the psychological anchor holding employees in their current roles has weakened significantly. The dramatic drop in the expectation to stay suggests a workforce that is more passive and opportunistic, potentially ready to leave if the right offer emerges.

This points to a much higher risk of future attrition. Furthermore, the growing desire to leave the bio/pharma sector altogether suggests that the challenges that employees are facing may be perceived as systemic to the industry. Addressing this heightened attrition risk requires a focus on the internal factors that build loyalty, such as meaningful training and career development.

6.0 Training, Development, and the Emerging Skills Gap

Career development and robust training programs are key levers for enhancing talent retention, boosting engagement, and building organizational capability. In a rapidly evolving industry, they are also essential for addressing skills gaps. This section evaluates employee perceptions of these opportunities and examines how companies are perceived to be handling new challenges like digitalization.

Assessment of Career Advancement and Training

While the overall weighted average for career advancement opportunities held steady (2.54 to 2.56) across the two surveys, this top-line number masks a growing polarization in employee experience. A significant increase in the cohort who "completely disagree" that opportunities exist (from 27.64% to 34.15%) suggests that while some employees may feel supported, a larger segment now feels entirely stalled in their professional growth. On a more positive note, perceptions of role-specific training have improved slightly; the percentage of respondents who disagreed that sufficient training is provided fell from 51.22% to 43.18%.

New Challenges in Skills and Talent Management

Data from the 2025 Survey shed light on employee perceptions of how companies are adapting to modern challenges. The findings suggest that most organizations are seen as average at best:

• Bridging the digitalization skills gap: A majority of employees (52.27%) feel their company is merely "comparable to others" in this area. Nearly a third (29.55%) feel their company is "trailing behind."

• Attracting and retaining top talent: The sentiment is similar regarding talent management. While 45.45% believe their company is "comparable," a significant portion (27.27%) perceives their organization as "trailing behind" its competitors.

These internal challenges related to skills development and talent retention are intrinsically linked to employees' broader confidence in their company's future and the industry as a whole.

7.0 Company and Industry Outlook: A Forward-Looking Perspective

Employee sentiment about their company's performance and the industry's future serves as a powerful leading indicator of overall business confidence and workforce morale. A positive outlook can fuel engagement and loyalty, while pessimism can exacerbate attrition risk. This section analyzes and compares these forward-looking perspectives from the two survey periods, revealing a significant downturn in optimism.

Evaluation of Perceptions of Company Performance

When asked to predict their own company's business prospects for the coming year, employee optimism has fallen sharply (Table III).

Analysis of the Shift in Company Outlook

The data show a pessimistic turn. The proportion of employees expecting their company's prospects to "increase" dropped from 43.44% in 2024 to 29.55% in 2025. Concurrently, the percentage expecting prospects to "decrease" rose substantially, from 14.75% to 25.00%. These results indicate a significant erosion of internal confidence in organizational performance and strategy.

Assessment of Overall Bio/Pharma Industry Sentiment

The pessimism is even more pronounced when employees consider the outlook for the entire bio/pharma industry (Table IV).

Interpretation of the Industry Outlook

Confidence in the broader industry has deteriorated significantly. The percentage of respondents expecting the industry to be "better" in the coming year was nearly halved, falling from 43.55% to 22.73%. At the same time, those predicting the industry will be "worse" increased from 14.52% to 25.00%. The prevailing sentiment has shifted from optimism to a more cautious, if not pessimistic, stance, which provides a crucial context for the other trends identified in this report.

8.0 Conclusion: Synthesis of Key Trends and Implications

The comparative analysis of the 2024 Survey and 2025 Survey reveals a bio/pharma workforce navigating a period of significant change and uncertainty. Four key trends emerge that have profound implications for employers seeking to attract, retain, and engage top talent in the years ahead:

1. Eroding financial and security footing: The data clearly show a more precarious environment for employees. Declining salary satisfaction, coupled with a sharp drop in perceived job security and a near-doubling of involuntary job losses (from 14.52% to 27.27%), indicates that foundational elements of the employment contract are under strain.

2. A polarized employee experience: Job satisfaction has become increasingly polarized as the middle ground erodes. The proportions of both "fully satisfied" (up to 29.55%) and "not satisfied" (up to 22.73%) employees have grown, while the "mostly satisfied" cohort has shrunk. This suggests a widening gap in employee experience, driven by a renewed focus on core intrinsic motivators like "intellectual stimulation" and "good work/life balance," which has surged to become the second most critical driver of satisfaction.

3. Heightened attrition risk and industry exodus: While the active desire to change jobs has remained stable, the expectation among employees that they will stay in their role has plummeted (weighted average dropping from 3.51 to 2.75). This signals a high latent risk of attrition. Compounding this is a growing consideration to leave the bio/pharma industry altogether, pointing to systemic challenges that transcend individual employers.

4. A waning outlook: A significant decline in optimism permeates the workforce. Confidence in the future prospects of both individual companies and the overall industry has fallen sharply. The percentage of employees who believe the industry will be "better" in the coming year was nearly cut in half, signaling that the workforce anticipates significant headwinds.