Biotech Job Market Continues to Remain Strong, Says BiotechCrossing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) September 20, 2008 -- ''The biotech industry is full of opportunities, especially in the biotechnology research and manufacturing sectors. BiotechCrossing has noticed a continued increase in employers posting biotech jobs to its site. North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have reportedly seen considerable growth in biotech jobs ,'' says A. Harrison Barnes, CEO of BiotechCrossing.

North Carolina has 225 life science companies in the state, employing about 40,000 professionals in a variety of biotech jobs , including lab testing, drug discovery, and biomanufacturing. Additionally, the large pharmaceutical companies in the region have also created opportunities for smaller biotech firms. For example, various biotech companies have spun off from GlaxoSmithKline, BioGen Idec, and Wyeth.

''The booming biomanufacturing sector , composed of medical device manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals, employs over 20,000 people. Most of the biotech jobs in North Carolina are located in Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill,'' adds Barnes.

The Florida job market has also remained robust, mainly due to the biotechnology cluster in Palm Beach. Florida has one of the largest medical device industries of any state. In addition, the very tax-friendly state is ranked number one in effective economic development initiatives for the biotech industry. The state is second in the nation for total number of biotech industry start-up companies, and third in the number of new biotech branches, from which many of the newest biotech jobs will develop, especially those for research technicians and assistants.

New Jersey also reported an impressive growth in the biotechnology industry . According to the New Jersey Biotechnology Industry Survey by BioNJ, the number of people working at publicly held biotech companies in the state has grown to 6,115 in 2007, up from 5,824 employees in 2005. The survey also reported that there are currently 238 biotech companies in New Jersey, up from 226 in 2006.

Massachusetts also reported a steady job market. While the US economy has already lost more than 600,000 jobs in 2008, Massachusetts has added about 12,000 jobs. Recently, Governor Deval Patrick signed the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative into law, which promises to increase the number of jobs in the biotech research and manufacturing sectors. Also, the state’s Department of Workforce Development reported that the Massachusetts job market has been dominated by the technology, scientific research, healthcare, and education industries.

''The most sought-after job candidates have been those with science, engineering, and IT degrees. Additionally, the biotech and biopharma companies are also hiring clerical, administrative, and other staff,'' adds Barnes.