How do Life Science Companies Deal with Rapid Staffing Changes?

2020 was an odd year and 2021 shaping up to be much the same for the Biotech and Pharma industries.

According to Forbes Magazine, 2020 was “the greatest year ever for the biopharma industry” and it was true -it’s still true. Along with the wild ride that was 2020, we’ve seen a light shined on the critical role our human capital has in the success, performance and growth of life science companies.

In a year where labs rapidly ramped up to meet the challenges of COVID-19, businesses and municipalities doubled, tripled and even quadrupled their lab techs and data analysts as they scrambled to find new ways to measure and understand the world. Labs were inundated with human testing needs, clinical trials launched at an astronomical rate, massive testing programs struggled to meet public health and consumer needs all while new rapid diagnostic tests were being rolled out across the globe. Our science community was pushed like never before, and they delivered.

Now, in 2021 and 2022, procuring the right talent to meet the ever-changing workforce needs that continue to get more complex and challenging will be critical to company stability, growth and ultimately longevity.

In Q4 of 2020, ClinLab surveyed Life Science professionals about how they felt about the 2020 and 2021 life science employment landscape in our 2020 Life Science Annual Job Seeker and Employer Survey. We found that 49% of respondents browsed jobs in 2020 with 38% of those surveyed planning to actively seek or browse for new opportunities in 2021.

Did you know that when an employee leaves, companies lose productivity and money at an alarming rate.

• It typically takes an average 3.5 months to replace non-executive positions
• An empty position can cost a company upwards of $500 per day
• Stalled projects, regulatory gaps and deadline impacts can be costly

Life Science/Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical Staffing: Pivot and Ramp Up

In the cases of rapid ramp-up, companies can also face serious challenges in other areas they may not currently be serving. In 2020 we saw a slew of companies pivot to the rapid development of vaccines for COVID-19 and with that came an unprecedented increase in life science jobs as companies tried to pad their staff with enough bandwidth to complete their day to day operations as well as serve the current climate.

We saw increases across the board but particularly heavily in titles such as lab tech, quality control, process development, accessioning technicians and clinical research associates. So how do companies handle massive, rapid changes in staffing needs so quickly and effectively? With Biopharma Life Science Staffing Solutions, of course!

Temporary Biopharma Life Science Staffing Solutions

While employers should always focus on expanding their recruitment channels as a way to prepare for staffing changes and employee turnover, most organizations will look to staffing and recruiting companies as the top method for recruiting quality talent. According to Hubspot, when companies were asked to identify their most effective recruiting method, staffing and recruitment companies ranked the highest.

So while the market still looks bullish for job seekers, the prospect of big job turnover looms large as a major challenge for businesses and we can help. A firm like ClinLab Staffing has a robust, vetted stable of qualified temporary contract lab and life science staff, we make life easier and get a company on mission fast in times of transition. ClinLab also offers payroll solutions to allow companies to add staff as needed without adding to payroll or overall permanent headcount.

Regions we serve:

• Boston/Cambridge, MA
• New York / New Jersey
• Greater Philadelphia
• Raleigh-Durham, NC (includes Research Triangle Park, NC)
• BioHealth Capital Region [Maryland / Virginia / Washington, D.C.]