BioSpace reported on Mar. 12 that biopharma professionals may find it easier to secure new roles, as average job postings on the platform increased by 5% compared to February of the previous year. This marks the first year-over-year growth in job postings since September 2022, a period when hiring surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rise in available positions is significant for those seeking employment in the life sciences sector. In addition to the annual increase, there was also a 21% month-over-month jump in average jobs live on BioSpace in February. These trends align with findings from a late 2025 survey informing the BioSpace 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report, where 41% of respondents involved in talent acquisition or workforce planning predicted an increase in open roles for 2026.
While biopharma hiring showed improvement, other sectors faced challenges. The U.S. lost 92,000 jobs overall in February, according to a March report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wells Fargo economists attributed much of this decline to a strike involving about 31,000 healthcare workers and severe winter storms affecting weather-sensitive industries.
Layoffs within biopharma were mixed last month. Nine companies announced or projected layoffs totaling 3,713 employees—higher than February of last year when more companies (19) cut fewer staff (986). Viatris' multiyear restructuring contributed significantly to this figure; its plan could impact up to 3,000 people globally based on recent SEC filings. However, for five consecutive months fewer than fifteen biopharmas have made or planned layoffs each month—a trend that contrasts with higher monthly tallies seen earlier in 2025.
Some companies are open to rehiring former employees they previously let go. Angie Allen of Kaye/Bassman said employers value returning staff who already understand company culture and products: "I feel like in our slightly more challenging biopharma market right now, companies are like, 'Oh, you’re a known quantity to us,'" she said. Theo Rowley of Novartis noted that while such rehires are not common practice industry-wide, they can be beneficial: "Someone that’s been in the organization already...can shorten that time to productivity," he said.
Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, Indiana and Illinois saw the most hiring activity among states last month based on BioSpace job postings. Competition for roles varied by state; New Jersey had an average of 5.4 applications per posting while Indiana had just 1.5.
Several major companies announced expansions expected to create new jobs over the coming years. AbbVie plans two new facilities in North Chicago with an anticipated hire of around 300 people by full operation in 2029. Novartis named Denton, Texas as its next manufacturing site and expects it will generate between 150 and 175 jobs once operational by 2028.
Layoff figures exclude certain organizations such as contract research firms and medical device businesses; numbers are compiled using public disclosures and regulatory filings but may not capture all workforce reductions due to varying disclosure practices.
