Employers in the biopharma sector are showing a renewed openness to hiring remote workers, according to the BioSpace 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report. The shift comes after a period where companies favored bringing employees back into offices following the remote work surge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A survey conducted late last year among 136 professionals involved in talent acquisition and workforce planning found that 28% of respondents plan to recruit and hire remote candidates regardless of location in 2026. This marks an increase from 20% in the previous year's survey and 16% two years ago. The data indicates a rebound from a low point in remote hiring intentions seen after pandemic restrictions eased.
Additionally, fewer employers are focusing exclusively on local prospects. The proportion of respondents limiting their search to local candidates dropped from 24% to 20%. Even among those who prefer local hires, over half said they would consider remote candidates for certain roles.
Recent hiring practices reflect this trend. In last year’s survey, 36% estimated that at least a quarter of their new hires were remote in 2025, compared to just under a third in the prior year. During the height of the pandemic between 2020 and 2023, more than half of surveyed organizations hired remote workers.
Concerns about narrowing the candidate pool appear to be driving some of this change. Thirty-five percent of workforce planners acknowledged missing out on potential hires due to relocation requirements.
Recruiting experts note that flexibility is often necessary for filling specialized roles. "A lot of our client companies will say that they learned during the market downturn that limiting searches geographically can slow hiring or lead to maybe weaker talent matches," said Julie Heneghan, president and founder of The Steely Group. "These companies, most all of our client companies, want access to highly specialized talent. Some of that just may not exist locally."
Molly Robb, principal owner of MRSearch, pointed out that larger biopharmas tend to be more open to fully remote arrangements than startups, which typically require employees onsite several days per week for onboarding and team-building purposes.
While many job seekers still value flexible work options, interest has declined somewhat over the past year as market conditions have shifted in favor of employers rather than candidates. According to BioSpace's career planning survey involving nearly 1,500 biotech and pharma professionals, about one-third rated remote work options as very important when considering their next job—down from roughly four out of ten respondents previously.
Survey comments reflected both enthusiasm for remote work and frustration with limited opportunities:
“I have worked remote for 6 years and do not want to be going back to the office 5 days/week. I am just as productive (if not more) working remotely.”
“Although remote work is a viable option for me, many remote positions are highly competitive.”
“Lack of remote opportunities will deter great talent from applying to roles.”
“Drive back to office environment has hurt me personally... it hurts me because I’m not in / near HQs -- and do not really want to move given family impact (and am looking outside of biopharma as a result).”
The percentage saying workplace flexibility was not very or not at all important rose slightly among employed workers but remained stable among unemployed professionals.
Experts attribute this shift partly to layoffs and industry contraction over the past year; candidates now prioritize stability alongside factors like growth opportunities and company financial health when evaluating jobs.
"Remote flexibility is still valued," Heneghan said, "but fewer candidates are willing to reject a role solely due to on-site expectations or even hybrid expectations, whereas a few years ago...a lot of people would say ‘If it’s not 100% remote, I’ll take a pass,’ because they had so many other options."
