Job Trends
October marked the first time this year there was an increase in both the number of biotech and pharma companies trimming their workforces and the number of affected employees when compared to 2025. Still, it’s highly unlikely 2026 layoffs will come close to matching the downsizing seen last year.
Labor Market Reports
The third quarter offered positive signals for job seekers and talent acquisition teams. Explore BioSpace’s Biopharma Job Market Report Q3 2026 to get a closer look at hiring trends, workforce reductions and the evolving employment landscape across the industry.
Job postings increase and competition dips, according to BioSpace data.
Gain the latest insights into the biopharma hiring landscape with BioSpace’s Biopharma Job Market Report Q2 2026. Explore the trends shaping talent acquisition, from rising job postings and sustained R&D hiring to the market activity signaling stronger hiring demand ahead.
Now Hiring
Average jobs live on BioSpace increased year over year in October, a good sign for those eyeing a new position. If that’s you, check out the list of which companies are most actively looking to hire.
Looking for a biopharma job in New York? Jobs on BioSpace have soared year over year and month over month.
Looking for a remote biopharma position? Check out the BioSpace list of eight companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Career Advice
Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack explores the guilt and grief executives feel when their direct reports are downsized and provides a strategy that helps both the leader and the people who need new jobs.
THE LATEST
After the FDA delayed a decision for Agios Pharmaceuticals’ sickle cell disease candidate, the biopharma is letting go of more than 35% of its R&D employees.
Biotech and pharma professionals share job hunt challenges after being let go, while a recruiting expert discusses why hiring managers prefer candidates without employment gaps and how to address gaps in interviews.
The Swiss contract development and manufacturing organization will more than double its U.S. footprint by acquiring the Merck KGaA plants.
Bioscience employment rose in 41 states, though not in California, according to a new report from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and the Council of State Bioscience Associations.
As companies invest billions of dollars to reshore manufacturing, 10 biotech and pharma businesses are reportedly trimming staff at manufacturing locations in 2026 or the coming years, with BioNTech having the deepest cuts.
Three former employees of large pharmas, including Novo and Sanofi, share how they were let go. While they appreciated some aspects of their experiences, such as severance and outplacement resources, they criticized a lack of public transparency, a mishandled notification and puzzling outsourcing.
Artiva Biotherapeutics, which had been evaluating cell therapy AlloNK for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, is exploring strategic options that could include dissolution and liquidation.
The $100,000 H-1B visa fee has significantly affected who biopharma companies hire, according to two experts. It’s not the only program adjustment affecting foreign-born job seekers’ odds of working in the U.S.
In this bonus episode, BioSpace Vice President of Marketing Chantal Dresner and Angela Gabriel, content manager, life sciences careers, discuss how the job market shaped up in Q3 and what Q4 might hold.
EyePoint is initiating a strategic review after duravyu failed another Phase 3 trial in wet age-related macular degeneration. Amid significant layoffs and trial terminations, the company is shifting attention to the asset’s potential in diabetic macular edema.