UK MEDICAL AFFAIRS HIRING HIGHEST IN 3 YEARS, SWITZERLAND SLIPS - NEW DATA

• Switzerland: lowest quarterly vacancy levels in 3 years; set to fall further in 2021

• IQVIA, BMS, J&J in massive year-on-year growth; falls in Novartis, Merck and Pfizer

• AbbVie and NovoNordisk on course to comfortably surpass 2020 levels

• Britain: SE recruitment falls during pandemic; London and EoE experiences growth

Vacancies for UK medical affairs professionals in Q1 2021, following two consecutive months of decline at the end of 2020, picked up and finished the first quarter with a monthly hiring level not seen in at least three years — according to data from Cpl Life Sciences and Vacancysoft.  

Life sciences firms in Britain published 245 senior vacancies for medical affairs specialists in Q1 2021, 42.4% higher than the same quarter a year earlier, That’s also 27.6% more than Q4 2020, the previous record-holder with 192 vacancies. 

 In Switzerland, meanwhile, 64 vacancies were published in Q1, the lowest level for over three years and 13.5% down compared to the previous quarter. Hiring levels in Basel and Zug in 2020 fell by 33.1% and 43.9%, respectively, year-on-year. 

Cpl Life Sciences CEO, Yvette Cleland, says: “Medical affairs is central to the success of biopharma companies as healthcare becomes more complex, specialised and global. It continues its metamorphosis in tandem with the global shift towards evidence-based care. 

“Its growing importance in generating value, particularly as medicines are more targeted and personalised, and the evidence base becomes more nuanced, present new challenges for the function to play a more strategic biopharma role.” 

Massive growth at IQVIA, Bristol-Myers Squibb and J&J

The highest growth in medical affairs vacancies came from IQVIA, which recently said that its global medicine spend (excl. covid-19 vaccines) will grow 3-6% through 2025. 

European hiring levels at the multinational in 2020 were +212.6% year-on-year. NovoNordisk and Abbvie, meanwhile, made the swiftest starts in 2021, already publishing 87.5% and 58% of their 2020 totals.

Top 10 Companies - Europe

*January to April 2021

Britain: SE recruitment falls during pandemic; London and EoE experiences growth

Hiring in the UK was generally resilient, with London (+7.9%) and the East of England (6.1%) experiencing year-on-year growth in 2020. 

However, recruitment in the region with traditionally the most number of medical affairs vacancies, the South East, fell by 9.1% year-on-year. This meant that the region's share of overall hiring fell from 40.1% in 2019 to 34.7% in 2020.

For more information, contact Rob Szmigielski on [email protected] or +44 (0) 207 193 8990.

About Cpl Life Sciences

Cpl Life Sciences has an international presence, recruiting across Europe, supplying Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Clinical Services industries with the talent they require for success.

Based out of European offices in London and Reading, and local offices in Stuttgart, Dublin and Brussels its team of specialist pharmaceutical recruitment consultants work to understand the requirements of both clients and job seekers, bringing the quality, service and ethical values that those working with Cpl Life Sciences have come to expect.

About Vacancysoft

Vacancysoft is the UK's leading provider of labour market data and analytics. We provide high-grade lead generation, client intelligence and market analysis solutions for Britain's top recruitment industry firms and others. 

For more information, visit www.vacancysoft.com.