Safeguard Global Unveils Industry Report on Global Life Sciences Talent Gaps

Safeguard Global, a pioneer in global workforce enablement and creator of the modern employer of record (EOR) category,  released its first Industry Intelligence Report, "Top Countries for Hard-to-Fill Life Sciences Roles." The report identifies countries that balance depth of skills, cost, and compliance considerations across five hard-to-fill role clusters: machine learning engineers/data scientists; QA/validation engineers; bioprocess, process development, and automation engineers; clinical pharmacologists and translational scientists; and clinical project managers and operations leads.

The analysis arrives as pharma's growth and deal cycles tighten the race for specialized talent. In 2024, the global market was valued at $1.65 trillion USD and is projected to grow by more than 40 percent, reaching $2.35 trillion USD by 2030, says Grand View Research. And according to a recent EY report, roughly two-thirds of big-pharma revenue over the next few years will come from dealmaking.

"As biotech platforms diversify and M&A reshapes pipelines and revenue streams, more pharma leaders are being measured by their ability to open markets quickly, hire globally, and keep critical programs on track," said Bjorn Reynolds, CEO of Safeguard Global. "At the same time, CHROs and CFOs are facing challenges in finding skilled professionals, forcing them to cast a wider net to fill these positions. This makes expanding globally in full compliance with local laws even more complex."

The report leans on insights from Safeguard Global's in-country HR experts and recruiters who have handled client searches for these roles, as well as Intelligent Workforce, Safeguard Global's AI-driven workforce optimization platform.

"Pharma teams across the globe are seeking to understand where to hire, how different scenarios will impact growth, and what strategies best align workforce costs to revenue," said Wanda Prewitt, chief operating officer at Safeguard Global. "With this report, we're giving HR leaders clear, market-by-market intelligence to source hard-to-find roles and build teams that outperform goals."