2023 Life Sciences Workforce Trends Report

The U.S. life sciences workforce is a constantly shifting target—continuously evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly growing and highly innovative, science- and technology-driven industry. Despite—and, in part, because of—the global pandemic and resulting economic challenges, the life science industry defied national economic trends, growing through 2020 and continuing to outpace the overall private sector in recent years as it has for two decades.

The industry’s outsized demand for “STEM” expertise and skills, along with its high concentrations of roles demanding postsecondary-educated workers, continue to necessitate close relationships and collaborations with the nation’s colleges and universities. These unique growth and advanced industry dynamics call for regular updates and refreshed intelligence on the industry’s talent demand and underlying workforce dynamics—a mandate of this report for the last decade.

In this sixth edition of the Workforce Trends report, it is also important to take stock of key trends that have gripped the life sciences in recent years and that continue to evolve, including the industry’s emphasis on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); how the industry has embraced and adapted to remote and hybrid work arrangements; the implications of technology investments and deployment for talent, and more.