Focus on US life sciences - could a move be for you - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

Focus on US life sciences - could a move be for you - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Everything in America is big. Big cars, big houses, wide open spaces. So it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that America is home to the biggest pharmaceutical market in the world, accounting for around one third of global market share. One of only two countries in the world that markets medicines direct to consumers (the other being New Zealand) it has a population of 300 million, so there’s plenty of scope for research, development, regulation, marketing and distribution of products and services related to human health. The main industrial hubs are Massachusetts, New Jersey and North Carolina on the east coast, and California on the west, which is where you’ll find most of the pharma/healthcare industry. But unlike other countries and regions where international talent mobility is becoming routine in the culture â€" I’m thinking here of places like the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, plus Singapore â€" the US is still a relatively closed shop. What you will find here is mobility within the country â€" people often move intrastate to further their careers. The United States is a mature market One of the results of all this abundance is a highly developed, mature market, with every possible kind of industry represented, from big pharma down to small suppliers. Companies can generally satisfy their need for skills by drawing on local talent â€" which means the competition for positions can be high. In recent times,  weve  seen a trend towards research functions moving out of the US, which has seen saturation of the market with clinical trials expertise, for example. Because the market is so mature, American experience is highly prized, and while we may not have global mobility in to our market, what we’re more likely to see is movement of candidates out of the market, transporting their specialist skills to places like Europe and South East Asia. We also see some movement out to Canada, from where my colleague, Melissa DeSouza, Hays Senior Recruitment Consultant, based in Toronto notes: “Canada is often a grooming country for US executives, and senior roles commonly go to candidates from the US, who eventually move back to even more senior roles after proving themselves here.” Global trends still apply Even though we consistently help our clients meet their need for skills, we’re still seeing shortages in some notable areas â€" for example, biometrics (biostatisticians and data management specialists), regulatory affairs, and senior specialists in oncology. This is consistent with both the broad findings of the 2013 Hays Global Skills Index and the experience of my colleagues in life science recruitment around the world. Tightening regulation is now the norm rather than the exception. The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is making companies jump through more hoops to secure drug approval, which is why candidates with skills in biometrics and regulatory affairs are in such high demand. We’re also seeing a big push from the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities Commission) to diversify company workforces in relation to age, gender and disability â€" and this is being adopted most rapidly by the big pharmaceutical companies. Culture is becoming more important, especially within the larger organisations who, rather than being so interested in candidates’ number of years of experience, are keener to ensure their cultural fit with the company line. Being able to rationalise how you’ve spent your time and what your values are is becoming more important, in some cases, than what you’ve been doing and for how long. How about lifestyle? In my opinion, this is an amazing country to live in. It really is a land of opportunity where you can make your mark, no matter who you are. More practically speaking, salaries in the life sciences are on par with those elsewhere in the West, with the more densely populated urban hubs commanding top dollar. In these areas, the pace of life is pretty frenetic and sometimes I think we could use a bit of a work-life rebalance; we could definitely use more vacations! But saying this, there’s no place on earth like America and no place on earth I’d rather call home. Have you worked in the US and made the move to another country? Maybe you’d like to explore a move? For general advice on relocating, you may like to read this Viewpoint article, and for insights on the material covered here, please share your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ below. Join the Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays LinkedIn group to share your thoughts and stay up-to-date with the latest on business, employment and recruitment news in the life sciences industry. Join the conversation Visit our website to search and apply for the latest Life Sciences jobs in the United States. Visit our website