UK life science ‘needs 145k new hires by 2035 to maintain global lead’
9 Mar 2025
Biopharma and medical technology will drive a huge growth in demand for life sciences employees over the next decade, predicts a new report by industry body the Futures Group.
Its research suggests up to 70,000 additional jobs will need to be created by 2035 but adds that an additional 75,000 hires will be required to replace employees likely to quit the workforce over the same period.
Dr Kate Barclay, skills strategy consultant at Futures Group member the BioIndustry Association, said the Life Sciences 2035: developing the Skills for Future Growth report underlined the importance of skilled workers for the sector’s development.
“[It] highlights the urgent need to address workforce readiness, particularly as the sector expands into data-driven discovery and AI-driven applications,” she said.
“Over the next decade, 145,000 new and replacement jobs will be required to maintain the UK’s leadership in this field.”
Together with collaborators the Science Industry Partnership, the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, the association called for enhanced routes for training and reskilling.
Government itself has identified life sciences as key to UK economic growth and is the other partner in the Futures Group, represented by the Office for Life Sciences.
Science minister Lord Vallance, who provided a forward to the report, stated at the launch that its recommendations offered the chance of a “lasting impact, to grow the UK’s £108 billion life sciences sector”.
“Life sciences have a significant role to play in our Plan for Change to grow the economy, create jobs and rebuild the NHS, and efforts like this will cement its place as a key pillar in our forthcoming industrial strategy,” added Vallance.
Pic: Chokniti Khongchum
