Life Sciences on the Rise: 2021 North American Report

TALENT IS ON THE RISE Although there are only approximately 245,000 people currently employed in the biotechnology industry, employment has been growing rapidly, having risen 79% since the end of 2013—compared to 42% for the U.S. as a whole. Even with a brief pause in employment growth from February to May 2020 due to the pandemic, employment growth re-accelerated as the industry’s focus turned to developing a vaccine. And with research and funding at an all-time high, employment too is on the rise.

EMPLOYMENT IN THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY AS OF MARCH 2021

255

235

215

195

175

155

135

Thousands of Persons

115

95

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Since 2000, the life sciences industry has far outpaced the rest of the economy in terms of job growth, and employment in this industry has especially soared during the last decade.

LIFE SCIENCES EMPLOYMENT GROWTH BY DECADE

6.5%

5.8%

Total Employment Life Sciences

5.5%

4.5%

3.5%

2.5%

1.9%

1.8%

1.5%

0.9%

0.2%

0.5%

-0.1%

-0.5%

1990-2000

2000-2010

2010-2020

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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