Hays Life Sciences
January - March 2012
Hotspots
Clinical Nurse Consultants are a hotspot of demand in Australia's life sciences market since more companies are directing their sales force to focus on sales and relationship building rather than training.
Also in demand are Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Research, Medical Devices Marketing and Medical Devices Product Managers. These candidates are an ongoing area of demand since there is a shortage of candidates and thus the market remains candidate driven.
Senior marketing candidates with specific medical devices or pharmaceutical industry experience are also sought since most organisations are re-examining the way they interact with their customers in light of current economic and market conditions.
Overcoming skills shortages
In order to overcome these skills shortages, employers have begun to target passive candidates. Networking events are another proven strategy in today's market.
The coming quarter
Within the regulatory market we expect activity this quarter to be dominated by the replacement of departing staff. Within clinical, new trials will create new opportunities, both temporary and permanent. Within the sales and marketing environment, we expect the focus this quarter to be on marketing candidates as companies bring new products to the market.
Employer trends
Employers in Australia's life sciences market have traditionally run a lengthy recruitment process. This remains the case, and we continue to see employers lose talent to competitors as a result of their lengthy process. Those employers taking decisive action early are winning the battle for talent in this candidate short market.
Candidate trends
Within the sales space, especially within ethical pharmaceuticals, we continue to see more candidates enter the jobs market. This is a response to both global and local restructures.
Candidates are often being presented with multiple offers, with base salary and long-term job security the most compelling factors when deciding between offers.
