Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology
Biotech, Pharma and Manufacturing companies
Martin Anderson, Founder Director at Carrot Life Sciences explores what will shape Life Sciences recruitment in 2027 in this three-part series.
A market in recovery, but not back to old habits
As the sector looks towards 2027, life sciences recruitment is being shaped by a very different set of conditions to those we faced twelve months ago. The UK has a clearer pricing and market access framework, the US is adjusting to drug pricing reform and a leaner FDA, biotech funding is thawing, and the talent market remains stubbornly tight for specialist skills.
In this three-part series, I look at what that means for hiring across the UK and US. We begin with the overall market and the data behind it. Part 2 drills down more into our core areas of expertise; Regulatory Affairs, Medical Communications, Market Research, and Market Access and part 3 I discuss how hiring managers should approach hiring in 2027 based on the wider market landscape.
2026/27 brings a hiring market that is recovering, but not returning to old habits
I’ve been recruiting in the life sciences space for over 20 years, and recoveries rarely look the way people expect. Twelve months ago I predicted that both markets would head into a phase of quality-driven hiring rather than volume hiring. Through 2026, that is largely what we have seen. The US is showing the clearest signs of recovery, with core biotech and pharma employment growing at its fastest pace in nearly three years. The UK picture is more mixed: pockets of real growth sit alongside a sector that has, on the latest official figures, contracted slightly.
What hasn’t changed is how employers are hiring. Budgets are being released, but headcount is being added deliberately, and hiring managers are prioritising:
- Candidates who can show commercial impact, not just technical depth
- Experience that spans both UK and US requirements, as pricing, regulation and launch strategy become increasingly interlinked
- Confidence working with AI-enabled tools, without losing the scientific judgement that sits behind them
- A proven ability to thrive in hybrid environments while collaborating closely across functions
- This continues to create a premium for mid-senior professionals, while the pipeline of experienced talent behind them remains thin.
- The “hybrid specialist” I described last year has now moved from a trend to a baseline expectation.
Examples of this include:
- Regulatory strategists who understand both early development and commercial launch
- Medical writers who can handle publications and medical affairs strategy
- Market researchers who interpret data in the context of market access and payer behaviour
- Market Access professionals who can model UK and US pricing scenarios side by side
This was reflected in our client briefs
This shift is already visible in the briefs we supported this year. When AOP Health appointed Carrot as its retained partner to build a new US leadership team ahead of its first product launch, the focus was on people who could shape commercial strategy in a new market, not just bring functional expertise. Similarly, KJT Group’s search for a Senior Vice President to support its US expansion in real-world evidence, and Genmab’s European commercial team build, reflect how closely market entry, launch planning and regional strategy now connect.
The same pattern runs through market access, HEOR and insights. Our work with Adelphi Values on two Senior Value Consultant roles, with Broadstreet HEOR on specialists able to deliver immediate value, and with Signify Research and Purdie Pascoe on senior research hires shows clients looking for professionals who can turn data into commercial insight, often at pace. When Teoxane needed a specialist commercial analytics appointment, we delivered it in 22 days, which shows how competitive the market is for strong mid-senior candidates.
My key observations across both UK & US markets
UK Life Sciences
In the UK, the life sciences sector is entering a period of recalibration rather than straightforward growth. The Office for Life Sciences’ latest statistics, covering 2024/25 and published in September 2026, put sector turnover at £125.8 billion, generated by 6,500 businesses operating across 7,600 companies and employing an estimated 306,700 people. Employment fell by 2% and turnover by 1% compared with 2023/24, suggesting a more challenging operating environment for parts of the industry. That is reflective of what we are seeing in our experience, but the figures need to be interpreted carefully: the latest release revised the previous year’s estimates down by 13% following improvements to the underlying company list. This means earlier employment estimates, including the 359,600 figure previously reported, are not directly comparable.
The changing balance between biopharma and medtech is an important indicator of where the sector’s commercial value sits. Medical technology accounts for 52% of life sciences employment, while biopharma generates 65% of total sector turnover despite representing 48% of jobs. This distinction matters for recruitment. Workforce demand does not necessarily follow revenue contribution, and employers across the two segments face different pressures around product development, commercialisation, regulation and market access. For hiring teams, understanding where value is being created, and which capabilities are needed to unlock it, is becoming increasingly important.
Geography is also becoming a more meaningful part of the UK life sciences story. The South East remains the largest employment centre, accounting for 25% of sector jobs and 27% of turnover, but regional performance varies considerably. London recorded 3% growth in biopharma employment alongside a 21% fall in medtech employment, while the North West saw overall life sciences employment rise by 8%, including 25% growth in biopharma. These differences suggest that national trends alone offer an incomplete picture of the market. For employers, regional specialisms and access to established talent pools may increasingly influence where teams are built and how recruitment strategies are structured.
The relationship between research investment and workforce demand is another area to watch. Employment among companies primarily engaged in R&D fell by 4% to 39,400, yet their turnover increased by 10% to £15.9 billion. At the same time, overseas-owned businesses account for 27% of UK life sciences companies but 52% of employment. Together, these figures point to a sector in which commercial activity, ownership and workforce requirements are not moving in lockstep. For recruitment, this reinforces the importance of understanding individual company strategies, investment priorities and development milestones rather than relying on broad sector-level growth forecasts.
What this means for Life Sciences recruitment
The UK market is not contracting uniformly; it is becoming more differentiated. Regional growth, differences between biopharma and medtech, and the gap between R&D employment and turnover all point to a more selective hiring environment. Employers may be cautious about overall headcount while remaining committed to business-critical appointments in areas such as regulatory affairs, market access, clinical development and medical affairs. For candidates, specialist expertise and the ability to support commercial or development objectives may carry greater weight than experience alone.
US Life Sciences
The US life sciences market is showing clearer signs of recovery, but the emerging picture is one of selective expansion rather than a broad return to pre-downturn hiring patterns. CBRE’s 2026 research found that biotech R&D employment rose by 2.7% year on year in early 2026. Combined employment across core life sciences, including pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, increased by 1.7% year on year as of April, marking the fastest pace of growth in nearly three years. The figures suggest that employers are regaining confidence, although the pace and distribution of hiring remain important considerations.
One of the more significant developments is the expansion of life sciences employment beyond the sector’s traditional hubs. Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Houston and New York all recorded record levels of core and total life sciences employment in 2025. This broadening geographical footprint could create new opportunities for employers seeking specialist talent, particularly where established clusters have become more competitive or expensive. However, the availability of talent in an emerging hub should not be confused with immediate access to experienced candidates. Building teams in new locations still requires a clear understanding of local capabilities, senior talent availability and the strength of the surrounding ecosystem.
Investment and deal activity are providing further signals of where hiring could accelerate. Venture capital investment rebounded in 2025, with medtech and biotech attracting significant allocations, while EY reported that biotech M&A value reached $149 billion, a 65% increase on 2024. These developments provide a stronger foundation for renewed recruitment, as funding can support development programmes and acquisitions can create new organisational priorities, integration requirements and leadership needs. However, investment and deal values are not guarantees of immediate headcount growth. The timing and scale of hiring will depend on how companies deploy capital, progress their pipelines and translate transactions into operational plans.
The changing skills mix may prove just as important as the recovery in employment. CBRE reported that the number of US life sciences degrees and certificates awarded fell slightly in 2025, while pharmaceutical sciences majors increased by 20% and bioinformatics and computational biology majors rose by 4%. These contrasting trends point to a potential shift in the capabilities entering the workforce, with data science and computational expertise becoming increasingly relevant to drug discovery and development. For employers, the challenge is not simply securing enough candidates, but finding people who can combine scientific knowledge with the technical and commercial skills needed to work in increasingly data-driven environments.
What this means for Life Sciences recruitment
The US recovery is creating opportunities, but it is unlikely to benefit every function or location equally. Renewed investment and M&A activity may stimulate demand for specialist and senior hires, while the expansion of regional hubs gives employers more options for building teams. At the same time, a changing skills pipeline and continued caution around hiring make talent strategy particularly important. Professionals who can navigate regulatory complexity, pricing and market access challenges, evolving medical affairs requirements, or the intersection of science and data are well placed to remain valuable in a more competitive market.
The wider recruitment outlook
Across both markets, the central question for 2027 is not simply whether life sciences hiring will grow, but where investment will translate into headcount, which capabilities will become business-critical, and how quickly employers can secure them. The UK data highlights a market being reshaped by regional differences and changing commercial priorities, while the US figures point towards a recovery supported by investment, transactions and an evolving skills base.
For employers, this makes workforce planning more nuanced. Broad recruitment targets are less useful without a clear understanding of development milestones, commercial objectives and the specialist capabilities required to deliver them. For candidates, the strongest opportunities may lie with organisations investing in clearly defined priorities rather than those expanding across the board.
In both markets, a more selective hiring environment is likely to reward employers who plan ahead, understand their talent pools and recognise where specialist expertise can make a measurable difference.
Coming next in Part 2: Regulatory Affairs, Medical Communications, Market Access and Market Research – where specialist demand is tightest, and what is driving it in both markets.
Carrot Life Sciences partners with organisations across the UK and US, providing permanent and contract recruitment, salary benchmarking, advisory support and market insight. Founded by a team with first-hand experience across Pharma, Biotech, MedTech and Consultancy, we bring a practical understanding of the industry and the evolving challenges shaping how organisations attract, recruit and retain specialist talent.
Looking for your next role in Life Sciences?
Martin Anderson
Founding Director
Expertise:
Market Access, HEOR & RWE
