Spotlight on Healthcare and Life Sciences: Latest Healthcare Recruitment Trends Driving Jobs in Demand 2023

The life science and healthcare industries encompass a broad range of sectors that involve the development, production, and delivery of medical treatments, products and services. Key sectors within these industries include:

• Pharmaceuticals. Research, development and manufacture of medications.
• Biotechnology. Includes gene therapies, stem cell treatments and personalised medicine.
• Medical devices and technology. Production of surgical instruments, diagnostic equipment and implantable devices.
• Healthcare services. Provision of medical care and services to patients, including hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers.
• Health insurance. Administration and financing of health insurance payment and reimbursement systems.
• Digital health. Mobile apps and wearable devices to improve health and wellness, facilitate remote monitoring and diagnosis, and enhance patient care coordination.

How the healthcare and life sciences sector has changed in recent years

COVID-driven developments

In common with most industries, healthcare has seen significant changes in the past three years, largely – but not totally – driven by the COVID pandemic. Pharmaceutical companies astounded the world with the speed in which they developed and delivered effective COVID vaccines, all while facing severe supply chain disruptions. There was a surge in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) for the healthcare workforce, ventilators for the chronically ill, and masks and Rapid Antigen Tests for the general populace.

Perhaps most notably, frontline medical workers were in extremely short supply and many of them suffered acute stress and burnout as a result. Meanwhile, the shift to remote working and isolation during COVID accelerated the need for telemedicine and digital health professionals.

Other transformations impacting healthcare recruitment trends

In tandem with the rapid adjustments necessitated by COVID, other changes, which had already begun, continued unabated:

• AI and Big Data enabled more efficient and effective diagnosis, treatment and research.
• Robotics and micro-robots allowed for the development of more precise and less invasive procedures.
• Personalised medicine, where medical decisions are guided by the patient’s genetic profile, increased the need for more specialised and individualised care.
• Value-based pricing was expected by more patients than ever before, in the face of dramatic cost of living increases.
• Healthcare services consolidation via mergers and acquisitions accelerated, in an attempt to create operational and budget efficiencies, improve collaboration, expedite diagnosis and boost patient care.

Key healthcare and life sciences job trends to expect in 2023

Based on the directions in which healthcare has moved in the last three years, it seems likely that the following life sciences trends and jobs in demand in 2023 will emerge:

• Precision medicine and personalised care. A continued focus on this sector will leverage Big Data and AI technologies for tailored treatment plans.
• Telemedicine. Remote patient monitoring, consultation and diagnosis is definitely a growth trend in healthcare for medtech companies.
• Digital health.The uptake of wearable devices to monitor fitness and health is likely to increase in pace, e.g. smart watches to measure exercise, heart rate and sleep, smart devices to monitor blood sugar and blood pressure, and even smart body implants.
• Gene and cell therapies. Accelerated development is likely in this field of treatment for cancer and genetic disorders.
• Mental health and wellbeing. Mental health management is yet another sphere which COVID is partly responsible for spotlighting. Expect increased innovation and investment, and new therapies and digital tools.
• Inflation will affect consumer choices. The CPI rose by 7.8% in the 12 months to September 2022. Many people are significantly affected by mortgage interest rate rises or the flow-on into rental costs. Healthcare, medicines and elective procedures are among the household budget costs that may be trimmed.
• Cybersecurity risks. Ransomware attacks and data breaches, such as 2022’s cyber attack on Medibank, and ransomware attacks on Melbourne hospitals in 2019 and 2020, may become more common alongside the rise of telehealth, smart tracking devices and cloud technology.
• Sustainability and green initiatives. The pharmaceutical industry in particular will be aiming to cut down waste, provide eco-friendly packaging, generally reduce its carbon footprint, and pay more attention to ESG strategies.

How the healthcare and life sciences jobs landscape will be affected

Developments in technology and environmental concerns are creating a demand for multi-disciplinary professionals who have expertise or qualifications which allow them to work comfortably in, or lead, specialist life science teams with a focus on technology, innovation or sustainability.

Value-based pricing and healthcare service consolidation has lifted the demand for experts who have the insights required to manage healthcare costs and improve outcomes.

The upsurge in vaccine development and production, and gene and cell therapies, has left pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies scrambling to fill vacancies. Meanwhile, the growth trends in healthcare involving personalised care, telemedicine and mental health management all risk being held back in the face of a frontline workforce depleted by COVID-induced burnout.

What can life sciences and healthcare hiring managers do to meet these challenges?

Strategies for addressing the skills shortage

Healthcare is not alone in facing a shortage of suitably qualified applicants for its many vacancies. The latest Australian jobs figures reveal high numbers of vacancies across most sectors, and an historically low overall unemployment rate of 3.5% in December 2022.

There’s no single solution to fix the healthcare recruitment problem. Tackling it will require a multifaceted approach, and the necessary measures will probably include:

• Investing in education and training programs. Healthcare businesses can invest in training and education programs for existing employees, as well as in programs that support the development of new talent, such as tertiary education grant programs involving vacation and post-qualifying employment.
• Partnering with an expert recruitment company to identify, attract and retain candidates with the required healthcare or life sciences skills.
• Collaboration with academic institutions. Industry leaders can partner with universities and other academic institutions to develop and implement training programs that address specific skills gaps and provide opportunities for students and workers.
• Emphasising diversity and inclusion. Organisations will attract a wider range of talent by emphasising diversity and inclusion in their recruitment and hiring practices, as well as creating a more welcoming and supportive workplace culture for all employees.
• Embracing new technologies. Leveraging technologies such as AI and machine learning will improve efficiency and streamline processes, while reducing some of the need for specialised human skills.
• Encouraging innovation. Encouraging employees to think creatively and innovate can help identify new approaches and solutions to challenges, leading to the development of new skills and capabilities.

Rapid transformation in the health workforce

The healthcare and life sciences workforce is spread across multiple sectors, as outlined at the beginning of this article, but a common thread across all of them is the rise in demand for technological and digital expertise to cope with accelerating trends involving innovation, cybersecurity and sustainability. As a result, the composition of the workforce is changing, and organisations who can recognise and stay ahead of the emerging life sciences job trends will be best equipped to face the recruitment challenges they present.

Our specialist team has experience across the full breadth of roles in the healthcare industry from executive leadership to clinical staff on the frontline. Contact us today for a chat to find out how we can help you.