More than a third of biopharma professionals remain in their jobs primarily to keep their health insurance, according to a BioSpace LinkedIn poll and a joint study by West Health-Gallup Center released on Aug. 5. The findings suggest that so-called 'job lock' due to fear of losing health coverage is increasing among these workers.
The study found that 24% of U.S. workers overall are staying in roles they would prefer to leave because they are concerned about losing their health insurance, up from 16% in 2021. In contrast, the BioSpace poll reported that 39% of respondents in the biopharma sector are staying in jobs they would rather leave for the same reason.
Gallup noted that about half of Americans report difficulty consistently paying for necessary medical care or prescriptions, and 51% are concerned about affording healthcare over the next year—the highest level seen in five years. Bryan Blair, vice president of biotech and pharma recruiting at GQR Global Markets, said, “People a lot of times can absorb a period of unemployment from a cost-of-living, day-to-day standpoint, but they might not necessarily be comfortable taking on not having health insurance.” Blair also said biopharma professionals tend to be more knowledgeable about healthcare needs and thus more hesitant than others to go without coverage: “That’s not really the attitude of people who work in biopharma.”
Leigh Holcomb, CEO of Career Catalyst Edge, said she knows single mothers who have stayed at biopharma jobs just to keep their health insurance stable for children with ADHD or autism: “When health insurance plans are changed, parents may suddenly find that their kid’s ADHD medication is not on the formulary or their physician is not on the preferred network,” Holcomb explained.
Job market conditions also play a role; during the first half of 2026 there were 14,427 employees affected by layoffs or planned workforce cuts—a slight decrease from last year—according to BioSpace tallies. The importance placed on benefits was highlighted by responses to another survey informing the BioSpace 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report: over half rated benefits as very important when considering new roles.
Blair added that while switching between companies often makes benefits less consequential unless family members have special needs or preexisting conditions requiring specific coverage, “It usually gets used as a leverage point for trying to get a higher base salary,” he said.
