Almost 1/3 Eyeing Job Options Outside US, BioSpace Finds
Nearly one-third of biotech and pharma professionals are thinking about leaving the U.S. to find biopharma jobs, according to a BioSpace LinkedIn poll. Career coaches discuss why people are considering relocating and what they should do before heading for the exit. Few biotech and pharma professionals have recently relocated outside the U.S. to find biopharma jobs, but nearly one-third (31%) are thinking about making such a move, based on a BioSpace LinkedIn poll this month.
The findings echo May BioSpace survey results. That survey showed that 38% of respondents—30% of employed and 48% of unemployed participants—were seriously considering leaving the U.S. to secure biopharma jobs. Put together, the survey and poll findings show that relocating outside the country continues to be an option some biopharma professionals evaluate as they plan the next step in their careers.
Trump Administration Drives Desire To Exit
There are multiple reasons why people consider making such a move, including concerns about how the Trump administration’s policies and views affect the biopharma industry. Several May survey respondents commented on that issue. I believe we’re about to see tremendous regression in all aspects of science in the US as the current regime attacks specialized knowledge and experts and holds in high esteem the most extreme populist voices who espouse hateful and ignorant views,” one participant wrote. “Around the world, my profession is still valued; here, it’s devalued by the current regime and indirectly made a target by more progressive causes which throw the baby out with the bathwater in seeking healthcare reform for our country.”
Angela Justice, owner of Justice Group Advisors, which provides executive coaching for biopharma leaders, told BioSpace that some of her clients who’ve recently thought about leaving the U.S. to find jobs had similar concerns. However, they haven’t moved past the consideration stage. “None of them are like, ‘How can we make this happen? Let’s think of a plan. Let’s go through and form a strategy,’” Justice said. “It’s just a disillusionment and a dissatisfaction with some of what’s going on in the U.S. right now around science.”
As examples of what’s happening, she cited FDA changes, National Institutes of Health funding cuts and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kenney Jr.’s views on vaccines. FDA changes this year include layoffs affecting thousands and significant leadership turnover.
“It seems like we as a country are not investing in science and innovation,” Justice said. “And if we look to places like China, for instance, it seems like they very much are—but I haven’t heard people say they want to move to China. I’m just saying that that’s the country that people are holding up as, ‘Well, they’re really making some strides. They’re making some moves.’ And we, it feels like, are going a bit backwards, and there’s a worry about some of that stagnation.”
Porschia Parker-Griffin, founder and CEO of Fly High Coaching, which helps executives and professionals, told BioSpace that a client who’s a midlevel pharma professional considered going overseas for different reasons. That client was concerned about economic changes and large pharma companies’ layoffs. In just the past few months,
Novo Nordisk announced plans to cut about 9,000 people globally, while Merck projected it might let go of around 6,000 staffers On a larger scale, when added up, six Big Pharma companies’ recent and planned workforce reductions could eliminate over 39,000 jobs. As to why BioSpace poll respondents were considering leaving the U.S. to secure biopharma jobs, John O., a life sciences quality and compliance expert, commented, “I’d go anywhere in the world for the right pay.”
What To Do Before Making a Move
For those thinking about heading out of the United States to find employment, Parker-Griffin advised against rushing into such a significant life transition. “Before relocating, I recommend making a major push to land a new position where you currently live,” she said via written responses. “I don’t generally recommend that someone consider relocating if they haven’t tried a customized, comprehensive job search strategy for at least six months.” That strategy, Parker-Griffin explained, includes having the right professional branding documents and LinkedIn profile.
Justice recommended that biotech and pharma professionals take a few factors into account when considering leaving the U.S. to find work. Those factors include not only the feasibility and practicality of making a move but also the motivation behind it. “Are you doing this because you’re running to or running from something?” Justice said.
“If you’re running to something, great. What is that, and how do we determine whether or not going wherever it is you’re running to is actually going to fulfill that motivation? If you’re running from, then let’s try to figure out why, and what might some other tactics or strategies be to address that.” Opportunity is another factor to consider, according to Justice. That is, how would the biopharma professional’s career progress beyond the first job they get in another country? “What comes next?” Justice said. “What does this set you up for, not just what is it right now.”
Justice also noted what are likely the easiest paths to working in biopharma outside the United States: transferring from a multinational employer’s U.S. office to a location in another country or taking a temporary overseas assignment. Regarding the latter, she said there needs to be a business case for the employer and employee. “I think it has to have very clear criteria around stop, start, what the objectives are, what success looks like,” Justice said. “There needs to be a re-entry plan.”
