Biopharma facing hiring difficulties and R&D talent gap, PwC unit finds

A talent gap in the scientific workforce has biopharmaceutical companies searching outside for fresh skills and alternate approaches to R&D staffing, according to PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI) in a new report published yesterday. New R&D organizational models based on partnerships, alliances and even crowd sourcing are changing talent needs, challenging traditional talent management strategies and redefining the role of human resources (HR) in R&D productivity.

HRI's report, New Chemistry: Getting the biopharmaceutical talent formula right, takes an in-depth look at the changing R&D model and what it means to workforce design. Pharmaceutical companies have long relied on a highly educated workforce of scientists and researchers to replenish their product pipelines. In response to a host of challenges to its business model, the industry has right sized its workforce and is changing how it conducts R&D. Demand for productivity is as high as ever, from a workforce with fewer resources and new expectations of performance based on improved health outcomes and/or lower costs.

HRI suggests that new R&D models need equally innovative HR strategies to find the right mix of scientific talent, skills and incentives. The knowledge-intensive pharmaceutical industry had the highest reported difficulty in hiring top talent of the 19 industries featured in PwC's 2012 Global CEO Survey. Chief executives identified talent gaps as one of the biggest threats to future growth prospects.