The pharmaceutical and life sciences arena has reached a pivotal moment in the talent shortage crisis where the spotlight is firmly on the industry as companies work on a Covid-19 vaccine, but swift action is needed to ensure this opportunity isn’t missed. That’s according to global talent acquisition and management expert, Alexander Mann Solutions.

With pharma and life sciences long facing a dearth of talent as STEM shortages impact not only the number of niche science professionals available to work, but also the tech talent to support digital developments, any changes in wider public sentiment can support the sector’s ability to attract more people into the field.

According to the talent acquisition and management firm, the current work on a vaccine is an opportune moment to encourage more pupils in education to pursue a career in STEM, and also provides a chance for pharma and life sciences employers to compete with large tech companies for digital skills on a scale that’s never before been achievable.

Jim Sykes, Sector Managing Director, Pharma and Life Sciences, at Alexander Mann Solutions explained:

“Covid-19 has definitely shone a spotlight on the industry and people are certainly taking greater note of what each company is doing. This has created a real opportunity for pharma and life sciences employers to not only encourage more students to take up STEM courses to secure the talent needed for the future, but it also helps pharma and life sciences firms finally compete with big tech companies for digital talent.

“It’s no secret that tech skills are in short supply and high demand. For specialist life sciences firms, competing with the likes of Google, Facebook and Amazon has long been a challenge due to the ‘glamourized’ profiles of these tech businesses. However, with the global pandemic highlighting the fantastic work being carried out in the pharmaceutical and life sciences field at the moment, now really is the time to drive efforts into engaging these individuals. I’d love to see more organisations publicly sharing the fantastic work being carried out by their tech experts in these times of crisis to encourage more digital professionals to choose life sciences for their career.”