- Fair share of permanent and contractual roles: A preference for hiring permanent roles in R&D, production, management, and regulatory affairs has been observed. However, a fair share continues for third-party and contractual employees, particularly in sales support and project-based roles.
- Less experience, big opportunities: Pharmaceutical job openings have predominantly required 1 to 5 years of experience, with an additional emphasis on welcoming freshers. This trend has consistently presented new opportunities for job-seekers who have successfully completed internships.
- Management and technical Skills in demand: While technical education is crucial for R&D and manufacturing roles, a constant demand for management professionals continues to lead in sales and marketing operations roles.
- Focus on digital competency: In response to the rising frequency of cyber attacks on major pharmaceutical companies and a growing inclination toward Artificial Intelligence in 2023, advanced talents in areas such as data security, data analysis, digital marketing, automation, biostatistics, clinical SAS programming, and data architecture have entered the industry.
As stated by Mr. Farhat Umar, SVP & Group HR Head, Mankind Pharma, “There is a paradigm shift in the pharma sector. Digital transformation and technology has led to a lot of new positions being created with many candidates being hired from the IT sector.”
Source-Emerging job prospects in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors by Forbes India
- Work from office dominates: Due to the inherent nature and critical importance of the medical sector, the practice of working from home was scarcely observed in pharma operations. In 2023, the predominant trend was characterized by 70% of the workforce operating from the office and the field, with no work-from-home scenario, and the remaining 30% engaging in a hybrid working model.
- Balanced approach to salary hikes: In 2023, the Pharma industry maintained a moderate stance, providing competitive salary hikes across various job profiles. While the skill set varies largely across the roles, the industry demonstrated a balanced approach to salary increases.
- Diversity leads the way: Reaching out to a diverse group of potential candidates came out to be the most effective way to attract talented individuals in 2023. Offering competitive salaries and focusing on creating a positive workplace culture were also found to be important. However, traditional methods of promoting employees or providing flexible work hours were noticed to be less critical.
- Campus and consultancy collaboration: In 2023, most of the pharma companies relied on campus hiring and advanced recruitment consultancies for new hiring while also valuing internal referrals and professional networking.
In a nutshell, the pharma industry’s emphasis on experience, education, skills, and collaborative hiring methods underscored a dynamic and forward-looking approach in meeting its talent requirements, fostering an overall optimistic hiring sentiment for 2023. Major metropolitan cities, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Delhi NCR, were identified as key hubs for the pharmaceutical talent pool.
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