The very segment-specific selection of personnel is expressed along these lines:
✅ Pharma is not Medtech
✅ OTC and Pharma rare desease are from two different galaxies
✅ Food Supplements and Cosmetics different landscapes
✅ Big Pharma International and SME worlds apart
✅ Innovator and CDMO are completely different languages, etc.
This leads to:
- Polarization between winners and losers
- Selective selection in recruitment
- A Glass ceiling within the industries
- Career changers in life sciences fail due to hurdles
But:
Specialists over 55 years of age remain in demand
In any case, the reasoning is quite understandable. New managers and specialists need to have a nose for it. But ironically, these further fuels the shortage of specialists, studies suggest. It makes lateral moves or longer learning curves after re-entry more difficult or impossible.
No age guillotine:
What I observe less in the life science business, however, is a systematic disadvantage of older job seekers (55+). This is also due to the strong influence of the Anglo-Saxon culture. Nevertheless, medium-sized companies and SMEs do not offer an optimal place for non-German speaking professionals and managers. Lack of language skills in German or French also prevent successful transfers. The dilemma is multi-layered. With more flexibility, much would be easier.
These seven phenomena are reality in the swiss labor market 2023 according to the study by HR Today: