The MedZilla Report: December 2008 Employment Outlook for Biotech/Pharma/Health
Overall,
2008 was a good year for health care jobs, with more than 372,000
added over the past twelve months. However, some health care
providers were forced to admit that the difficult economic climate
will force them to lay off employees going into the new year.
Seattle, WA (Vocus) January 13, 2009 -- Overall, 2008 was a
good year for health care jobs, with more than 372,000 added over the
past twelve months -- 32,000 in December alone, with 12,000 of those
jobs being created by hospitals and hospital systems. However, even
as many health care providers added new positions, some were forced
to admit that the difficult economic climate in the United States
will lead them to lay off employees going into the new year.
The health care
layoffs were, for the most part, fairly small in scope, with no
company eliminating more than 250 positions, and only two shrinking
by more than 100. Many of the layoffs occurred in the Midwest, most
notably in Ohio and Minnesota, though no region was immune. Health
Care Expert Dr. David Mirvis, who works at the University of
Tennessee Health Science Center, said that the sector, once thought
of as recession-proof, will probably have to join the rest of the
country in shrinking employment. In "The Commercial Appeal"
(November 21, 2008), he said, "I think we're going to see job
cuts everywhere; hospitals aren't going to be immune." As
companies reported layoffs, more of them included in statements to
the press that their actions were a last resort, and that they had
already made as many other cuts to their operating expenses as
possible.
For the first time in
several months, healthcare layoffs far outstripped those in
pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; in December, only a few
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies announced they would be
eliminating positions, and of them, none said they would lay off more
than 50 employees. Most of them are coupling layoffs with strategic
restructuring efforts, elimination of divisions and reassignment of
employees, and cutting back on executive pay and bonuses.
The changing face of
pharmaceutical and biotechnology research -- specifically, the need
for those companies to slim down and focus only on what they believe
will be their biggest sellers -- is reflected in the monthly
breakdown of posted jobs. Research and development postings fell by
almost three percent, product development by almost two, and
marketing by 0.5. Also, medical education postings shrunk by almost
three percent. Despite that, no state's total number of job postings
was reduced by more than 1.5 percent, and in California alone, six
percent more jobs were posted in December than in November. No other
state saw a noticeable rise in posted jobs.
A trend previously
observed by MedZilla.com, the tendency for job searches to remain
flat month-to-month, continued in December. There were no swings
higher than one percent -- positive or negative -- in the number of
jobs searched for by potential applicants from November to December.
There was a rise of 2.2 percent in the number of sales jobs sought,
but otherwise, little change was seen when analyzing the types of
jobs applicants searched for.
The most interesting
numbers for December, however, were in the resume search statistics
-- that is, companies searching for new employees. Companies in
California and New Hampshire both increased their search efforts by
more than four percent, and those in New Jersey and Indiana by 3.5
percent. Only Ohio, which saw several hospitals and health systems
eliminating employees in November and December, slowed their resume
searches by more than one percent. Management positions were the
hardest hit by the shrinkage -- almost four percent fewer managers
were sought by companies in December. Candidates with qualifications
for writing and editing were the most in demand; there was a jump of
almost three percent in the number of candidates sought.
"Even though the
mood of the country is generally positive following the election of
President Obama, it will take time for the economy to recover fully,"
said Michele Hopps, director of marketing for MedZilla.com, the
internet's leading source for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and
health care jobs. "Keeping an eye on what jobs are available in
your area is one of the best ways to prepare yourself in the event
that your job is one that has to be cut."
About MedZilla.com:
Established in mid-1994, MedZilla is the original web site to serve career and hiring needs for professionals and employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, science and healthcare. The MedZilla jobs database contains about 7,500 open positions. The resume database currently contains over 285,000 resumes with 16,800 less than three months old. These resources have been characterized as the largest, most comprehensive databases of their kind on the web in the industries served.
Medzilla® is a Registered Trademark owned by Medzilla Inc. Copyright ©2008, MedZilla, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this text in its entirety, and if electronically, with a link to the URL www.medzilla.com. For permission to quote from or reproduce any portion of this message, please contact Michele Hopps, Director of Marketing and Development, MedZilla, Inc. Email: mgroutage(at)medzilla.com.
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