Lack of young talent in the life sciences industry is worrying!

Mature workers greatly outnumber newer employees in the UK life sciences sector – which could possibly lead to a shortage of essential skills, according to a new survey.

Figures by Cogent Skills from the national Labour Force Survey in the past 12 months show that in life sciences, there are 28% more employees aged 40-64 than 16-40. New or recent school leavers and graduates make up only 5% of the total workforce. More than 80% of companies in the industry have vacancies affected by skills shortages with more than 70% struggling to attract applicants with the skills they need to satisfy “hard to fill” vacancies.

Mark Botting, board member of the Science Industry Partnership, says: “The age gap across the life sciences sector is a clear signal that science sector companies need to have succession planning along with skills and talent development on their agenda now. Skills shortages ultimately affect an organisation’s ability to compete in an increasingly global market.
“The figures we have collated suggest that a greater proportion of people currently working across industrial and life sciences will be leaving the workforce in the next 25 years than those remaining behind. The sector needs to do something now to address the brain drain. 

Cogent Skills, the UK’s strategic body for skills in the science industries, highlights Actavis’ Trailblazer apprenticeships – which are bespoke for the company’s skills requirements – as an example of how this can be addressed. Actavis' Technical Transfer Manager Hilary Jeffrey's said "Though employers may previously have struggled with the concept of employing apprentices rather than graduates, they are now understanding the opportunity apprenticeships offer to individuals and the company, 

Hilary continued “The qualifications combined with the experience apprentices gain are very relevant to employers. With bespoke apprenticeships such as the Trailblazer we will develop people with the right skills because we’ve been directly involved in defining and shaping what is required to enable the employee to do the role by the end of the course.”

This all seems a bit worrying for the future of the life sciences industry and shows just how important new talent really is. Maybe we need to be going right back to the start of the process and telling children about the life sciences sector and what is involved, when they are thinking about their career options at school? I remember talking to my teenage brother about the industry when i first started at Kubo and he had no idea about how much went into the prescriptions and healthcare he takes for granted everyday. Maybe its a lack of knowledge in the industry rather than a lack of interest? 

How will the UK General Election effect your pocket?

The UK Election has kicked off and the parties have released their 2015 Manifestos. How will what their proposing effect wages and jobs?

All parties have said that they want to help people see more of their money. How do they plan to do this? The Conservatives have said that they will raise the minimum wage tax threshold to £12,500 and 40% tax on £50,000 plus. The labour party have said they will raise minimum wage to £8 by 2019 and re-introduce a 10% starting tax and 50% on earnings over £150000. The Liberal Democrats have also said that they would raise the income tax threshold to £12,500 while UKIP would raise it to £13,500 and introduce a 35% tax on earnings between £42,000 and £55,000.

Therefore what about Jobs and young people starting out in the job market?
Labour have said that they want to offer apprenticeships for every school leaver who gets the grades. The Conservatives have said that they want to aim for full employment where "anyone who wants a job is able to get a job". They also want to further fund their apprenticeship schemes and offer 3 million more places. The Green party want to create 1 million public sector jobs and introduce a maximum 35 hour working week.

It seems that all the parties are offering a lot of promise within the job market and all want to boost our economy. This would be great for everyone if we could see the unemployment figures drop even further and see more money in our pockets.

Record number of job vacancies in the UK as unemployment falls to lowest in 6 years!

Last week new figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that unemployment fell by 58,000 to 1.91 million between September and November last year. Unemployment hasn't been this low since 2008 when the recession began.  

As we hear of the positive National Statistics just released, Apple announced today quarterly profits of $18bn, the largest in history. They sold 74.5 million iPhones in the 3 months before Christmas. Meaning 1 for every person in the UK!
 Its clear to see that businesses are flourishing at the moment. Job openings are at their highest in 14 years. There are more than 700,000 job openings compared to only 127,000 last year.

This is great news for people looking to start or further their career, not only are there more jobs out there, figures show salaries are rising too! Earnings are up by 1.8% over the last 12 months overtaking the 0.5% inflation rate. Economists suggest wages are on the rise as workers have been reluctant to change jobs after the recession, this is now changing. 

Although everything is looking psitive at the moment, the fact that job vacancies keep rising could show that companies are not finding the right candidates. Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight said: ‘On the face of it, it looks encouraging that more jobs are available for workers, however it is less positive if it reflects a significant mismatch between jobs available and the skills of people looking for jobs. Or a mismatch between the jobs available and the type of jobs people are looking for.’

The statistics are welcome news for businesses and candidates looking for work. As Kubo enters its 4th year of trading, there has been a noticeable increase in new job openings across Europe and the US. If you are looking for a new opportunity within Life Sciences, please visit our website at www.kuborecruitment.com 

UK Salaries on hold as job opportunities continue to rise!

• First quarter salaries show no growth on previous quarter

•  2014 salaries remain at the same level as Q1 2013

•  Number of new jobs available grows 10% during first quarter and is up 30% year-on-year

UK salaries continue to stutter, with zero growth during the first quarter of 2014, whilst the number of new jobs available is still rising, according to new figures release by reed.co.uk

 Renewed economic confidence has continued to prompt growth in new vacancies, but rates of pay remain flat. In the first quarter of 2014, the number of new vacancies being advertised grew by nearly 10% compared to the last quarter of 2013 and by more than 30% annually. There are now nearly twice the number of jobs on offer as there were in March 2010.

March: Top 5 sectors year-on-year

• 1. Legal +78.9%
• 2. Transport & Logistics +73.1%
• 3. Construction & Property +67.4%
• 4. Strategy & Consultancy +55.7%
• 5. Motoring & Automotive 54.1%

March: Top 5 regions year-on-year

• 1. Wales +44.7%
• 2. Yorkshire & Humberside +34.9%
• 3. North West 33.1%
• 4. London 31.7%
• 5. East Anglia +31.5%

For all Kubo Recruitment's latest roles please visit www.kuborecruitment.com

Statistical information from reed.co.uk

Wow its March already!!

 

I just can’t believe how quickly this year is going, the daffodils are out and the sun is beginning to show its face a bit longer every day and before you know it, you will be dusting off the BBQ for summer! 

If you feel like you need a change or are looking to progress your career, have a look at some of the job roles Kubo are currently recruiting for!

Senior SAS Programmer- UK

The role is full-time permanent employment in the South East of England.

The candidate will be responsible for producing and validating statistical analysis using SAS. The Senior SAS Programmer has the overall responsibility of the reliability of output produced within a project and is in charge of training and supporting Statisticians and SAS Programmers on programming subjects. http://kuborecruitment.com/jobs/senior-sas-programmer-uk

Quality Assurance Manager - Switzerland

Our client is a rapidly expanding pharmaceutical group located in Switzerland, its strategy focuses on the development and registration of innovative pharmaceutical products. An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Research & Development Division for an experienced Quality Assurance Manager. http://kuborecruitment.com/jobs/quality-assurance-manager-switzerland

Director of Regulatory Affairs- UK & Europe

Are you looking for a dynamic new career opportunity?

To deliver the medical, regulatory and safety strategy for new products and ensure on-going compliance within the total UK/Ireland/Scanda region, leading to the growth of our UK/Ireland/Scanda business. http://kuborecruitment.com/jobs/director-of-regulatory-affairs

ADaM Statistical Expert – USA

Our client is looking for an ADaM statistical expert in the USA with 5+ years work experience in Data Management, Biostatistics or Programming in the Pharmaceutical or Biotech arena. Consultants should have practical experience implementing ADaM and the ability to assist the study teams to create analysis dataset specifications that conform to the ADaM standard (e.g. define dataset, variable, value and results level metadata) and have a strong background in statistics. http://kuborecruitment.com/jobs/adam-statistical-expert-usa

Statistician- Denmark

This is an urgent project. Candidates will be required on site initially for 2-3 months and after this time 50 % home based work is an available option.

The ideal candidate’s will be experienced Statistician’s with at least 2+ years knowledge and experience of the clinical research industry. The candidate’s will be responsible for the design, analysis and reporting of clinical trials and must have good SAS programming skills. http://kuborecruitment.com/jobs/statistician-denmark

Clinical Operations Manager – Switzerland

Our client is a rapidly expanding pharmaceutical group located in Switzerland, its strategy focuses on the development and registration of innovative pharmaceutical products. An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Research & Development Division for an experienced Clinical Operations Manager with 5+ years experience in a similar role and working knowledge of ancillary areas such as data management, statistics, regulatory affairs, etc.

 http://kuborecruitment.com/jobs/clinical-operations-manager-switzerland--3

Please visit www.kuborecruitment to see all our current jobs roles or email andi.brown@kuborecruitment for any further information. 

January Opportunities in Life Sciences

So you have been back at work 2 weeks and like most of us, you are probably sitting at your desk thinking, "where did Christmas and New Years go? I'm back at work already!?!", but are you also at work thinking "I need more!?"

Whether it's more money or more job satisfaction you want, now is the time to do something about it! Kubo Recruitment has many new roles that we are looking to fill!

Deputy Clinical Safety Officer - Permanent - UK
The ideal candidate will provide support to the Clinical Safety & Information Governance Officer (CS & IGO) in order to meet the requirements of GPSoC and other clinical safety deliverables by:

• Ensuring Clinical Safety Documentation is reviewed regularly and kept up to date
• Collating Clinical Safety Information and documentation at the request of external parties
• Providing support to the CS&IGO in the production of Clinical Safety paperwork associated with development projects
• Updating the Clinical Incident Register within the customer database
• Managing and maintaining the Clinical Safety Mailbox

Statistician Required Onsite in Denmark

Two statisticians are required to work onsite in Denmark on a 3-month contract and be open to 50% home-based work thereafter. The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of experience in the industry. 

Associate Director - Statistical Science (Pre-clinical) - Switzerland

Our Client is looking to hire a talented Associate Director, Statistical Science. In this challenging and dynamic role, you will be a global lead for providing the statistical strategy and support of multiple areas within the biomedical research departments. 

Contract CRA - Germany

• Experienced freelance CRA required for a project in Germany covering 6 sites, the majority of the sites are in or around the Munich area. 
• 2-3 days a month over a 5 year period
• Experience with applications BfarM or the EC territory would be an advantage
• Excellent rates

CDISC Consultant/Freelance - Italy

Opportunity for an experienced CDISC consultant/freelance for a short project in Italy:

• To provide operational support to build datasets supporting our client's current eCRD system (designed and built in-house) in a format compatible with CDISC
• Micro-analysis of data structure in order to enable in the future the building of automated datasets compatible with CDISC format

If you would like further information on any of the jobs featured, please contact Rachel Keay at rachel.keay@kuborecruitment.com or visit www.kuborecruitment.com