June 11, 2024
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR’s daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Work-life (science) balance: While recent layoffs have grabbed the headlines, the biggest future problem facing the Boston area’s strong biotech sector isn’t a lack of jobs. In fact, a new report says just the opposite. According to the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation’s annual report, the sector is facing a worker shortage — and needs to do more to recruit graduates from local colleges.
- By the numbers: There will be an average of more than 5,700 life sciences job openings a year through the next decade, according to the report. However, local colleges and universities are projected to fill about only 3,500 — or 61% — of those positions.
- Why? It’s primarily an issue of awareness among college students, MassBioEd CEO Sunny Schwartz told WBUR’s Dan Guzman. “One in five graduates who are majoring in biology, chemistry or other biosciences are landing a job in the life sciences,” Schwartz said. “We’re losing 80% of our graduates to other industries.”
- What are they doing about it? MassBioEd is working to connect students to the industry with everything from campus conversations to internships. “Some of them may be thinking that the only option is med school,” Schwartz said. MassBioEd has also launched an apprenticeship program and is working with public colleges to diversify the workforce.
- What’s next: Since 2021, life sciences jobs in Massachusetts have increased about 11.6%, nearly double the national rate. While the growth rate slowed to 2.5% last year, MassBioEd projects the sector to grow 32% by 2033 — an increase of 38,000 net new jobs.
Originally posted 6/11/2024 at https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/06/11/boston-biotech-industry-worker-shortage-college-students-jobs-newsletter.
