Second-quarter biotech job picture

Johnson & Johnson has opened its first startup incubator outside the United States. Based in the MaRS Discovery District, JLABS @ Toronto will initially house 22 companies, with a capacity of 50. It also has a device and digital prototype laboratory, where resident startups can access IBM's Watson cognitive system.

In Europe, Novartis announced a $1-billion investment in its biomanufacturing facilities in Austria to support the planned launch of five biosimilars by 2020. The drugs include biosimilars of autoimmune drug Enbrel (etanercept), neutropenia drug Neulasta (pegfilgrastim), autoimmune and cancer drug Rituxan (rituximab), autoimmune drug Humira (adalimumab) and autoimmune drug Remicade (infliximab).

Finally, Pfizer unveiled its plan to invest approximately $350 million to develop a biotech center in Hangzhou, China, increasing its footprint in the world's second-largest pharma market. The plant, Pfizer's first in China and third overall, will manufacture branded biologics and biosimilars for patients worldwide. China has recently taken steps to ease regulatory and market challenges faced by pharma companies. In February, China's Food and Drug Administration said it would prioritize the approval process for new drugs with clear clinical value.

Advertised biotech and pharmaceutical sector jobs in the job databases tracked by Nature Biotechnology during the second quarter of 2016 are shown in Tables 1 and 2. Other downsizings within the life sciences industry are shown in Table 3.

Table 1 Who's hiring? Advertised openings at the 25 largest biotech companies

Table 2 Advertised job openings at the ten largest pharma companies

Table 3 Selected biotech and pharma downsizings