Many biopharma companies in the United States are planning to hire in 2026, according to the latest BioSpace 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report. The survey, conducted late last year with 136 professionals involved in talent acquisition or workforce planning, found that 64% of respondents were actively recruiting, up from 59% reported in the previous survey for 2024. Additionally, 41% of those surveyed expect their number of open roles to increase in 2026.
Recruitment activity differs depending on company size. Only 37% of organizations with fewer than 50 employees are actively recruiting, while all companies with between 500 and 999 employees reported active recruitment efforts. For firms with between 1,000 and 4,999 workers, the figure is at 83%, and for those with at least 5,000 employees it stands at 57%.
Greg Clouse, BioSpace Recruitment Manager, said these findings match what he hears from small to midsized clients: “I have talked to people who plan on doing hiring this year, but it’s not like they’re rushing to do it all right away.”
The rise in recruitment comes as job seekers face a challenging environment due to layoffs. In 2025 alone, about 42,700 employees were affected by workforce reductions—a significant increase compared to the previous year.
Survey data indicates that research and development (R&D) will be a key area for hiring this year; half of respondents expect to add R&D professionals. Other areas likely to see new hires include clinical (48%), manufacturing and production (38%), regulatory (37%), and quality assurance/control (37%).
Despite concerns expressed by some survey participants about finding jobs in R&D—such as one respondent stating: “Worried that a typical Research/ Discovery leadership job is almost impossible to find due to extreme numbers of unemployed scientists”—there has been an uptick in science/R&D job postings on the BioSpace website since late last year. Between January 1 and January 27 this year there were more live positions than during December.
Clouse noted that most R&D openings are for lower-level roles such as research associates or postdoctoral positions. In clinical roles, available jobs include trial manager and trial associate positions. He commented: “It seems to me like people are always looking for clinical people...the trials are ongoing. It almost doesn’t matter what the market is.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) skills remain highly sought after within biopharma hiring plans. Survey participants highlighted demand for researchers skilled at leveraging AI technology as well as integrating technology with regulatory affairs. One respondent advised: “Companies should focus on candidates with strong foundational skills plus reasonable AI tool expertise,” adding that employers should not look exclusively at experience with specific AI technologies.
Some survey participants expressed optimism about AI’s impact on biopharma innovation:
“I’m cautiously optimistic that emerging technologies like AI-driven drug discovery and personalized medicine will create new opportunities, though the path forward will likely require greater adaptability than we’ve seen in recent years.”
“AI will help create groundbreaking results for the biopharma industry in 2026 and beyond.”
“On the positive side, the biopharma industry in 2026 looks poised for accelerated innovation, particularly with AI slashing drug discovery timelines by up to 70% and enabling more precise targeting of diseases like cancer and genetic disorders through expanded mRNA and CRISPR technologies.”
The importance of artificial intelligence was also emphasized by both BioSpace’s employment outlook report and findings from TEConomy Partners’ Life Sciences Workforce Collective’s trends report for next year. Industry executives identified AI as a major factor influencing talent needs across multiple applications—including automation of manufacturing processes; data analytics; drug discovery; regulatory compliance; clinical support; customer service; supply chain management; and recruitment.
Job seekers interested in artificial intelligence can find scientist and engineering positions listed on BioSpace’s website. More broadly within technology fields—where nearly one-third of companies expect new hires—roles such as data scientist are becoming increasingly common.
Clouse observed: “We are seeing more and more of those kinds of things versus just someone who’s sitting in a lab with a coat on, holding pipettes.”
Layoff figures cited exclude contract development/manufacturing organizations as well as medical device firms or service businesses outside core biopharma activities.
