​We recently share our insight into the world of Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical Recruitment. Now we’re delving deeper into a key trend we’ve been seeing - Utilising extra capacity.

The need to manufacture the Covid vaccine in the UK has been a topic for discussion for a while. We work with Wockhardt who make the Astrazeneca vaccine, and recently Fujifilm Diosynth gained approval to make the Novavax vaccine.

But what’s the impact on recruitment?

They’re recruiting. Not that that’s a surprise, and the impact of Fujifilm Diosynth needing an additional 300 skilled staff in the North East is a positive one. Great for the local area.

But it also has an impact on other businesses in the region. Draining the candidate pool leaves fewer skilled workers for other businesses initially. All businesses in the area need a clear recruitment strategy to hire in the right people and must have a compelling proposition for the market.

We’ve seen many manufacturers have to flip their manufacturing model. Changing shift patterns to extend manufacturing hours, and varying terms for workers adds even more pressure onto HR teams, who are already stretched to capacity.

Once recruited, new workers need a sound onboarding experience – the last thing a business needs is people exiting due to the absence of a proper welcome.

IR35 is still rearing its head. We’re seeing an impact on the availability of interim contracts as companies prepare to navigate through the changes (and we still believe they will come), and interim professionals reluctant to look at FTC roles. A stale mate possibly?

The over-riding feeling within the Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals world is one of anticipation and excitement. Bringing manufacturing into the UK to avoid import pressures from Brexit is heralded as great for the UK.

And we agree.

For chat about any aspects of recruiting into the Medical Devices & Pharmaceutical market, please contact us - we'd love to hear from you