If you’re hiring within Australia’s life sciences sector right now, you’re likely feeling the pressure. Despite some mixed signals across the broader job market, our industry remains firmly candidate-driven – and it’s reshaping the way organisations attract, hire, and retain top candidates.
As a recruiter who works in this space every day, I’m seeing the disconnect in real time: while the national unemployment rate sits at a steady 4.1% and job postings have only slightly increased, demand in biotech, pharma, digital health, and medical devices continues to outpace supply.
Why Is Life Sciences Still So Candidate-Driven?
- Talent Shortages Are Acute The sector is facing an estimated 35% shortfall in required talent – particularly in digital and data-led roles such as bioinformatics, AI, and health tech. These skill sets are being pursued not only by life sciences firms but by global tech giants too.
- Work Preferences Are Evolving More professionals are shifting towards contract roles – valuing flexibility, varied project work, and increased earning potential. This creates both opportunity and instability for employers needing to fill long-term, strategic positions.
- Employers Are Under Pressure Hiring managers are having to move quickly, often exceeding salary bandings and offering more flexible conditions just to stay in the race. In On Q’s latest data, 28% of managers reported regularly going above internal salary guidelines to secure top candidates.
What This Means for Employers
If you’re hiring in life sciences, it’s time to get strategic:
- Review your EVP: Salary is important, but flexibility, purpose, and progression matter too.
- Upskill your team: Bridging internal capability gaps is faster than recruiting in this market.
- Streamline your process: In 2024, 64% of managers reported shorter time-to-hire. If your process hasn’t sped up, you’re losing candidates to more agile competitors.
What This Means for Candidates
In short? You’re in demand.
- Now is a great time to explore new opportunities, negotiate better terms, or diversify your experience through project work.
- Many employers are more open to remote and hybrid roles, interstate hiring, and flexible contracts.
- There’s growing demand not just in R&D or clinical, but across regulatory, QA, tech, and digital health.
But Outside of Life Sciences, It’s a Mixed Picture
Australia’s job market as a whole isn’t so clear-cut. While some industries are hiring aggressively, others are slowing down. In fact, full-time employment fell by over 35,000 in February, even while job ads rose slightly in March.
We’re in a dual-market: life sciences remains candidate-driven, but the broader economy shows signs of a rebalancing – with employers regaining some control over pay negotiations, benefits, and job offers.
So, whether you’re a job seeker or a hiring manager, now is the time to get informed.
Help Shape the 2025 Life Sciences Job Market
We’re currently collecting data for On Q Recruitment’s 2025 Salary & Job Market Report – and your input matters.
🧬 Are you seeing higher salary demands?
💡 Have your hiring expectations changed?
📉 Are candidates still turning down offers?
The more insights we gather from professionals across life sciences, the more powerful our guide becomes – helping you benchmark, hire, and negotiate with clarity.
👉 Contribute to the 2025 Salary Survey now and to unlock 2024 insights & help shape 2025 industry benchmarks.
