To say that the life-science job market is changing would be a drastic understatement. A 2011 White Paper by global workforce solutions company Kelly Services®, entitled “The Transformation of the Life Sciences Workforce”, paints a picture of how changes in economics, management and demographics are driving employers to rely more on highly skilled contingent employees. Meanwhile, those same factors are affecting how and why life-science employees seek employment and develop their career paths. During the economic downturn and slow recovery over the past few years, companies watching their bottom lines couldn't afford to invest as much in what has traditionally been termed full-time or permanent employees. This affected management practices; companies needed to constantly adjust the composition of their employees' skill sets as projects moved through the pipeline. As for demographics, the workforce has become more mixed; companies must now accommodate three generations of employees — Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers — with varying mobility needs, cultural values and willingness to make long-term commitments.
For both life-science companies and prospective employees, recognizing this new environment is only the first step, says Alan Edwards, Senior Director, Americas Product Group - Scientific, Kelly Services. Kelly Services aims to help match highly skilled employees with companies where they can hit the ground running, without additional training or education. Kelly® also seeks to help companies adjust to a contingent workforce by finding employees who are more project- and skills-based, so companies can more easily draw from the workforce as projects progress, or disengage them when a project is completed. Edwards tells Nature how Kelly Services can help both jobseekers and companies adapt to these shifts.
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