Clinical vacancies in the UK in 2023 are predicted to be 35% lower than volumes experienced in 2022. These falls are to the most part in line with general trends in industry vacancy landscape which has experienced a significant drop (-33.3%.).
Clinical UK Life Sciences Labour Market Trends
INTRODUCTION
Clinical vacancies in the UK in 2023 are predicted to be 35% lower than volumes experienced in 2022. These falls are to the most part in line with general trends in industry vacancy landscape which has experienced a significant drop (-33.3%.). However out of greater kilter and significant is the final quarter of this year for clinical positions where recruitment has dropped to levels not seen in the last five years, when viewed in through the prism of one quarter. What is of ongoing concern has been the backlog of clinical trial applications at the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) and the impact this has in discouraging companies from conducting studies in the UK. In response, the MHRA is actively addressing the issue by increasing recruitment and training of assessors, improving the capabilities of existing staff, and prioritizing the clearance of the backlog, particularly around population health. The MHRA is also working on providing more predictability by publishing performance data on different application types. A further interesting development at MHRA was the appointment of a Head of AI to enhance efficiency and explore the use of artificial intelligence in expediting the assessment process. While AI will assist assessors in processing information more efficiently, it will not replace human decision-making. Additionally, the MHRA is developing an international recognition framework to acknowledge regulatory decisions from countries beyond the EU, such as the US, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, and Australia. This framework aims to avoid duplication of efforts and promote mutual recognition and harmonisation of regulatory frameworks globally. Despite these efforts, close collaboration between the MHRA and industry stakeholders is crucial in addressing the challenges posed by post-Brexit regulatory shortages and delays. Timely and transparent communication, sharing best practices, and leveraging international partnerships can help navigate these challenges more effectively. The industry must actively engage with the MHRA, providing valuable insights and support to streamline processes and ensure the timely availability of safe and effective medical products in the UK market. It is also important for businesses to accurately complete their applications to avoid challenges or rejections. While regulatory shortages and delays present challenges, the MHRA remains committed to overcoming them through strategic measures, AI integration, and the international recognition framework. The agency aims to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and achieve global harmonization. Active industry engagement and collaboration with the MHRA are key to driving positive change in the regulatory landscape during this transition period.
Yvette Cleland - CEO | Cpl UK
CONTENTS Overview
Page 03 Page 04 Page 05 Page 06 Page 07
Clinical Research Organisations Pharmaceuticals Top Firms About Cpl Life Sciences | Vacancysoft
Overview For the pharmaceuticals sector, one by-product of COVID-19 is that regulators prioritized approving trials related to the virus and the focus was there. As a result, it is not a surprise that within the MHRA, a backlog developed, where the delay in trials being approved has had implications for the industry. As a result, it is fair to say that 2023 has seen significantly lower levels of recruitment for clinical-specific functions when compared to prior years. That has been compounded by quantitative tightening, meaning that funding for new R&D, resulting in additional phase one trials has also stalled.
03
Annual Totals
All Clinical Vacancies, Life Sciences, 2021-2023* Est, Europe
15,000
10,000
5,000
With that we see the following:
• Clinical vacancies in 2023 are set to be 34.9% lower than in 2022. • This reduction is broadly in line with industry trends, which have also seen a significant drop (-33.3%.) • Q3 2023 has had recruitment for clinical positions drop to levels not seen in the last five years, when analyzed by business quarter. • The proportion of clinical vacancies across Life Sciences which are within the CRO’s specifically has fallen from 64% in 2021 to 60% this year to date. It is perhaps for this reason the Government has stepped into action. The MHRA has been resourced to address the backlog, where since July, nearly 2000 trials have been approved when in a normal given 12-month period, the approval number would range between 500- 750. Hence looking ahead, as trials are approved, our forecast is bullish. Put it another way, if in 2023 clinical vacancies were 50% lower than in 2019, the last business year pre-pandemic, just for the recruitment to return to the levels seen then, would mean a doubling of vacancies in 2024. And that’s before we consider the implications of four times more trials being approved this year than in a regular one. Expect, therefore, 2024 to be busy.
2021
2022
2023*
Fig. 01 Source: Vacancysoft Analytics
*- Forecast 2023
All Clinical Vacancies, Life Sciences, 2021-2023* Est, Europe Annual % Breakdown
80%
127,511
60%
40%
20%
CRO
Pharmaceuticals
Biotechnology
2023*
2021
2022
Source: Vacancysoft Analytics
Fig. 02
*- Forecast 2023
04
Clinical Research Organisations
04
Skills In Demand, by Role All Clinical Vacancies, CRO, 2021-2023* Est, Europe
Top Countries All Clinical Vacancies, CRO, 2021-2023* Est, Europe
UK
Clinical Operations
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
Clinical Management
France
CRA
Spain
Senior CRA
Poland
Clinical Projects
Germany
Clinical Study
Italy
CRA II
200
400
600
800
500
1,000
1,500
2023*
2023*
2021
2021
2022
2022
Source: Vacancysoft Analytics
Source: Vacancysoft Analytics
*- Forecast 2023
*- Forecast 2023
Fig. 03
Fig. 04
Clinical R&D Medical A airs & Medical Information Health Economics Outcomes Epidemiology
As touched on earlier, the drop in vacancies has been felt more sharply within the CROs than within the big pharmaceutical companies, hence when looking at how recruitment for clinical professionals has shifted this year compared to last we can see: • Projects roles (typically found in CROs) dropped the most, down 68% from last year Regulatory A airs Quality Assurance Management Others • CRA II roles have also had a significant drop, down 54% • In contrast, Clinical Operations roles have proven more resilient to the downturn, down only 5.7%. What this has meant is, that Clinical projects roles, which in 2022 had been the number one skill in demand, accounting for over 16% of all vacancies, have as a result dropped to being the fourth largest area, making up only 9.3% of all the clinical vacancies. In contrast, Clinical Operations, which had been the fourth largest area within the
function, has become the number one area being recruited for next year, rising from a share of 8.9% to 14.7%. By the same token, looking at the trends by country, we see it in the UK, Italy, and Germany which have seen the biggest drops, which are all countries with significant CRO functions. These three have seen dips in activity this year of 51%, 53%, and 59.5% respectively. Put another way, what that has meant is that when analyzing activity on a pan-European basis, the share of CRO clinical vacancies that have been within the UK has fallen from 34% last year to 17% this year. In contrast, Poland despite seeing volumes fall, has now become the third largest country in Europe, for clinical vacancies within the CROs. A sign of their strategy to appeal to international companies for direct foreign investment for outsourcing paying off?
05
05
Pharmaceuticals
Skills In Demand, by Role All Clinical Vacancies, Pharmaceuticals, 2021-2023* Est, Europe
Top Countries All Clinical Vacancies, Pharmaceuticals, 2021-2023* Est, Europe
UK
Clinical Operations
200
400
600
800
CRA
Poland
Clinical Management
Germany
Clinical Development
Denmark
Clinical Projects
Spain
Statistics
Ireland
Clinical Study
200
400
600
800
100
200
300
400
500
2023*
2023*
2021
2021
2022
2022
Source: Vacancysoft Analytics
Source: Vacancysoft Analytics
*- Forecast 2023
*- Forecast 2023
Fig. 05
Fig. 06
What this meant is that as a percentage of the total, Clinical Operations has fallen from 14.9% last year to 13.3% in 2023, while the CRA function has increased from 8.2% last year to 12.5% this year. By country, we have seen the most vacancies within the UK, which may reflect the ease of doing business in terms of labor laws compared to other countries. However, the drop in activity this year compared to last has been marked, with vacancies falling 48%. As a result, the share of vacancies within the UK has fallen from 18% in 2021 to 12% this year. Otherwise, what is interesting is that there have been more clinical vacancies in Poland within the pharmaceutical companies than in Germany, which traditionally has been by far, the biggest hub within the EU. For context, within Germany vacancies have dropped 26.7% year on year, whereas Poland has proven significantly more resilient, with volumes actually increasing, by 5.7%. As a result over 10% of all the clinical vacancies are now in Poland.
When looking at activity within the pharmaceuticals companies a different picture emerges from that within the CROs. For starters, the fact the dip in underlying recruitment levels has been smaller in the pharmaceuticals companies, means as a result, the drop in terms of skills in demand has also been less severe as a result. With that in mind, we see the following: • Clinical Operations is the leading area being recruited for, equally, volumes are down 24% on those in 2022. • In contrast, there has been an upswing in CRA vacancies, up 29% on last year’s totals, making it the second-largest grouping. • Clinical Management vacancies though have seen the largest year-on-year decline, down 29%. • Meanwhile, similarly to what we have seen in the CROs, there has also been a marked drop in vacancies for Clinical Projects, down 24.8%.
06
Top Firms
05
Top 20 Organizations Clinical Vacancies, Life Sciences Sector, Europe, 2021-2023*
Whilst the ongoing importance of the CROs in terms of the clinical function is clear, when analyzing activity by organization, it is not a surprise these are the businesses with some of the biggest drops in vacancies, year on year. Nonetheless, of the top five companies with clinical vacancies this year, four are CROs. With that, ones worth profiling include: • Syneos Health, which although it has had the highest annual totals is set to see a 42.6% year-on-year reduction in vacancies. • AstraZeneca is the leading Pharmaceutical company in terms of Clinical vacancies and has actually had a significant uplift in activity this year, with volumes up 45.7%. • PRA has had the steepest year-on-year decline in activity, with vacancies down 54% on last year. • In contrast, Pfizer is one to watch, with a year-on-year uplift of 127%, which is the largest increase out of any of the organizations in the top 20. • Novartis have also had a significant surge in activity this year, with vacancies up 78% on 2022. • Within the top ten organizations, Merck has seen the biggest increase, with vacancies up 66% on last year. In summary, eleven of the top twenty organisations have seen a decline in clinical vacancies, equally when we remove the CROs from that, we see that it is only six out of fifteen. Put another way, 60% of the pharmaceutical companies have seen an uplift this year compared to last which suggests that as the number of trials has slowed down, they have just decided to do more in-house and outsource less. Equally given what we discussed earlier, in terms of the regulators getting up to date with their backlogs of trial requests, we expect next year to be a busy one all round.
YoY%
Organization
2021 2022 2023*
-42.6%
Syneos Health
1528
1854
3230
-9.8%
Iqvia
1239
832
922
45.7%
AstraZeneca
524
397
360
-54.1%
PRA Health Sciences
422
1130
920
-44.4%
ICON
396
625
712
Parexel Labcorp Drug Development Novo Nordisk
-4.1%
367
617
383
-38.7%
322
798
525
16.0%
311
210
268
Merck
66.4%
228
121
137
GSK
-9.9%
181
207
201
Medpace
1.1%
154
121
152
Lilly
41.9%
88
132
93
Cromsource
-7.8%
124
161
134
Novartis
78.2%
118
86
66
-19.4%
Cmed
23
108
134
127.0%
Pfizer
104
87
46
-67.8%
Johnson & Johnson
198
67
209
22.8%
129
53
43
AbbVie
-49.0%
90
41
80
Roche
-64.5%
35
151
98
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Source: Vacancysoft Analytics
Fig. 07
2023* - Estimation
Cpl Life Sciences have an international presence, recruiting across Europe, supplying Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Clinical Services industries with the talent they require for success.
Cpl UK is a group of specialist talent businesses which service the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), Professional Services and Healthcare sectors across the UK. Together we form the UK footprint for Cpl Resources Plc which is one of the largest staffing companies in Europe. As a group
we’ve been powering businesses by providing transformational talent solutions for over 30 years and have been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1999.
Our mission is to be the UK’s best transformational talent partner across all our core markets and add meaningful value to lives of our clients, candidates and colleagues.
What we do: Our Service Capabilities across all European Countries include: ∙ Contingency permanent recruitment ∙ Contract recruitment – freelance and PAYE via Cpl UK
∙ Search and selection permanent recruitment ∙ Specialist ‘project-based’ interims via Cpl UK ∙ FSP outsourced teams across Europe ∙ European Salary Survey to determine the salary and benefits for each sector of the UK Life Science industry.
For more information or to speak to one of our team please contact us on +44118 959 4990 or email UK@CPL.COM
UK Office 33 Blagrave Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 1PW t | +44 (0)118 959 4990
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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.
Vacancysoft’s products helps firms to optimise their businesses. Established in 2006, we have thousands of clients worldwide, ranging from FTSE-listed businesses to industry specialists.
How we gather data The data contained within this report is gathered solely and specifically from the career centres of company websites, not job boards.
Before publication, job postings are de-duplicated and verified as unique. Every vacancy is assigned up to 20 data points through Vacancysoft’s proprietary algorithm, which is double-checked for validity by a data quality control team.
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