Labor Market Analysis: Cell and Immunotherapy Technician Workforce

Little research currently exists at the national, state or regional level on the cell and immunotherapy technician workforce and the demand for these workers in this fast growing industry. Gathering labor market Information to assess and forecast the future workforce needs of the organizations who are developing and manufacturing these emerging technologies is a key deliverable of Shoreline Community College’s Immunotherapy BioHub. To accomplish this, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify and review economic and workforce articles and reports on the growing cell and immunotherapy sector. In addition, on-line job postings data from Burning Glass Technologies [1] was collected and analyzed to provide real-time labor market data which attempts to document demand for cell and immunotherapy technicians from the organizations that employ these technicians. Job postings data is presented at both the national level and for the 10 states with the most job postings.

Key Findings:

• Economic impact: The size of the global immunotherapy drug market (in economic terms) was $173 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to over $400 billion by 2028.
• Demand: There is a high demand for cell and immunotherapy technicians both nationally and in 10 key states. Job postings data over the past decade has shown a strong and steady increase in the number of postings and there is every indication that this trend will continue.
• Supply: Based on the literature review, organizations focused on the development or production of cell and immunotherapy therapeutics are finding it very difficult to find qualified talent to fill technician level positions. In addition, a review of national education and training programs reveals that there are only a few colleges with programs specific to cell and immunotherapy. Therefore, a pipeline of new talent to fill open positions is very limited.
• Gap Analysis: There is a significant gap between the supply of qualified cell and immunotherapy technicians in the current labor market and from educational institutions compared to the demand for these technicians based on the job postings data and the literature review presented in the report. In addition, the Shoreline Community College Immunotherapy BioHub’s National Advisory Board has validated that there is a significant need for more cell and immunotherapy technicians nationally.
• Total Jobs: An analysis of job postings data from 10 key states reveals that the combined total job postings for cell and immunotherapy technicians from these 10 states over a 12 month period represents over 70 percent of the total national job postings for cell and immunotherapy technicians over the same period.
• Types of Jobs: An analysis of job postings data from 10 key states reveals that the type of technicians needed, tend to reflect the mix of cell and immunotherapy organizations in each state and their focus (i.e. “research and development” vs. manufacturing).
• Education and Experience: National job postings data reveals that nearly two out of three organizations (65 percent) are seeking candidates with a Bachelor’s degree. The data also reveals that the majority of organizations (58 percent) are seeking candidates with a minimal level of experience (0 – 2 years).
• Specialized Skills: the top three specialized skills most commonly listed in national job postings are Cell Culturing, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and Quality Assurance and Control. 
• Background Knowledge: the top three background knowledge topics most commonly listed in national job postings are Biology, Experiments, and Molecular Biology.
• Workplace Skills: the top three workplace skills most commonly listed in national job postings are Research, Communication, and Detail-Oriented.

1. Burning Glass Technologies is a labor market analytics software company that uses artificial intelligence technology to analyze hundreds of millions of job postings to provide insight into labor market patterns.