Pandemic consolidates the trend of job and talent growth in the biotech sector

The pandemic has biotechnology as one of the most in-demand sectors, capable of attracting talent and generating employment. Specifically, Spanish biotech companies have continued to increase their workforce during 2020, accentuating the sector's trend of recent years. The workforce grew by 7.6% in 2019 and represents 12.8% of the people working in R&D in Spain as a whole, according to INE data. 

This growth in employment in the sector demonstrates how biotechnology has managed to highlight its strategic potential for the economy and its capacity to create new knowledge-intensive jobs. This is undoubtedly key to developing the country's recovery strategy and boosting the green transition of our economy. 

"Biotech has a very significant economic growth potential. Science and innovation are widely recognised as drivers of economic and social prosperity. And probably no sector can represent the scope of this progress as well as the biotech sector, which has been demonstrating for decades that investment in R&D has a direct impact on the health and well-being of both people and the planet," says Ana Polanco, president of AseBio.

Biotechnology companies have a turnover of 0.7% of GDP, generate an impact of more than 8,200,000 million euros of income in Spain and are also in first position as the sector that invests the most in R&D. Biotechnology also ranks second in the ranking of sectors with the highest number of research personnel out of the total number of jobs, second only to the research and development services sector.

"In order to accelerate and advance in the development of highly complex medicines, digitalisation, robotisation and massive data management must be combined with biological science, all of which are present at Biospain. The biotech sector has to be strategic for Spain, and what the covid-19 has taught us is that, if there is no national leadership and pooling, as occurs in forums such as Biospain, it will be very difficult to shorten the deadlines," explains Dámaso Molero, CEO of 3P Biopharmaceuticals, a Navarrese company that is a model of business success. 

Some of AseBio's partner companies have seen their workforce grow in the last year despite the pandemic. Microomics, the spin-off specialising in metagenomic analysis that emerged from the Centre for Genomic Regulation at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) is just one example, as it has grown steadily since it was founded in 2017 to become a benchmark. 

NATAC is also in full growth and has just opened an international recruitment and selection process for new hires. The business group specialises in researching and commercialising ingredients of natural origin for application in food supplements. Also, for farm and pet food, as well as functional foods, and active pharmaceutical ingredients of natural origin, mainly plant extracts and functional lipids. 

"In NATAC's history, 2020 represents an increase in the size of the total workforce of 35%, and 42% more employees with a research profile were hired. For a company like ours, it is essential to have quality events like BIOSPAIN 2021 where we can identify talent and new business opportunities," says Noela Gonzalez, NATAC's global marketing and sales director for the Americas.

Increase in enrolments

The number of enrolments in university studies in biotechnology between 2015 and 2019 has been increasing year by year until reaching a figure of almost 7,000 students in the last academic period. 

The biotech sector's pool is made up of brilliant talent, which is entering university studies with one of the highest cut-off marks in 2019. In 19 of the 24 public universities that teach biotechnology, it is among the 10 degrees with the highest cut-off marks. As a result, the biotechnology sector has highly qualified workers and a productivity three times higher than the average for the Spanish economy.

"Biotechnology has an impact on 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This focus on sustainability and commitment to our environment makes it an attractive sector for young people with excellent training and education who are interested in innovation to improve people's lives and the well-being of the planet," adds Polanco.

The percentage of women enrolled reaches 60%, well above other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines such as engineering and computer science. And at the professional level, more than half of the staff employed in biotechnology are also women. Biotech companies hold the third position in the ranking of women in R&D activities with 59%, surpassed only by health and social services and pharmaceuticals.

All the agents that contribute to attracting more and more talent and investment will come together at Biospain 2021. The international benchmark event for the Spanish biotechnology sector will be held from 27 September to 1 October 2021 in hybrid format, both virtually and in person, at the Palacio de Congresos y Auditorio de Navarra-Baluarte in Pamplona-Iruña in collaboration with the Government of Navarra and Sodena, the development company of Navarra, and with the support of the platinum sponsors ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones and Merck.