2019 Life Sciences Ideal Employers Identified in Latest BioSpace Report

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Sep 26, 2019, 07:00 ET

DES MOINES, Iowa., Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BioSpace, the leader in life sciences news and careers, today announced that Genentech, Pfizer, Merck, Amgen and Novartis landed in the top five spots of their latest Ideal Employer report.

The Ideal Employer Report dives into the professional, demographic and attitudinal factors that determine who life sciences professionals consider an "Ideal Employer" and why. To compile the report, BioSpace collected data from more than 2,700 life sciences professionals across the U.S.

When ranked by the most important attributes, bluebird bio tops the list for interesting and meaningful work, Regeneron for competitive salary and BioMarin for health benefits.

"Employer branding has taken on greater importance in today's competitive hiring environment," said Joshua Goodwin, CEO of BioSpace. "Companies that are focusing on what's most important to job candidates are rising to the top."

One key finding from the report was the change in the most important company attributes to life sciences professionals. Although meaningful work and competitive salary remained at the top of the list, health benefits made its way into the top three as well, while a company's reputation declined significantly in importance.

Perhaps the most eye-opening discovery from the Ideal Employer report was the perception that life sciences professionals had of companies versus reality. According to the findings, many life sciences employers face a public perception problem. On almost every attribute measured, professionals who worked at a particular company ranked it higher than those who haven't worked there.

The study suggests that many candidates associate life sciences companies with a negative work environment while company employees boast about qualities such as flexible hours, commitment to diversity and company culture. This shows that employers could be missing an opportunity to make their positive workplaces known to people outside of the company.

"Having the right people on your team means the difference between winning and losing," said Goodwin. "Companies can't assume that the best candidates are going to organically seek out opportunities to work for their organization. Top performers don't just want a job, they want an opportunity to be part of something meaningful."

Other interesting insights included the differing priorities by gender and generation.

Women in the industry place much greater importance on diversity in leadership roles while men place more value in being part of a company with a strong pipeline. Millennials are concerned about the lack of advancement opportunities while Gen X and Baby Boomers are more focused on robust health benefits.

Top 30 Ideal Employers

Genentech, Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Biogen, Regeneron, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Verily, Sanofi, Abbott, Celgene, bluebird bio, BioMarin, Vertex, Medtronic, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Stryker, Alnylam.

About the Survey

Research for the 2019 Ideal Employer report was conducted via an online survey tool between the months of May 2019 to July 2019. In total, the survey garnered 2,706 responses with votes received for 899 companies. Respondents were asked to provide their top three ideal employers in an open text box. Respondents were asked to rank various employer attributes and then rate their ideal employers. Respondents were asked to indicate if they ever worked for their choice of ideal employer. The survey was distributed via a range of channels - email, on-site advertising and social media channels.

To see all the insights and statistics from the 2019 BioSpace Ideal Employer report, you can download the report here.

About BioSpace

Since 1985, BioSpace has provided essential insights, opportunities and tools to connect innovative life sciences organizations and talented professionals who advance health and quality of life across the globe. BioSpace continues to be the leading source for careers and news for life sciences professionals in the United States.

SOURCE BioSpace