Pharmaceutical sector hiring set for double-digit growth
As some industries brace for slow hiring in
the coming months, the Indian pharmaceutical sector's recruitment numbers are
poised to continue growing in double digits next year as health awareness
improves and lifespans increase.
Drugmakers Novartis and Biocon and hospital
chains Apollo Hospitals and Fortis Healthcare say the sector will see a surge
in hiring across positions in areas such as diagnostics and administration,
compounded by a growth in lifestyle and other non-communicable diseases.
Industry experts said with the increasing
growth potential of the pharma sector, about 10% increase in jobs can be
expected in the next year. According to placement company TeamLease Services,
the planned goods and services tax regime will result in double-digit job
creation in pharma, with a prevailing job growth rate of 14%. "With the positive outlook of the sector,
there will be an increase in frontline sales and middle-management positions in
medical and marketing functions in the industry," said Sanjay
Srivastava, director of HR at Boehringer Ingelheim India.
The growing collaboration between Indian and
global pharma companies will help leverage innovation and scale, resulting in
better use of human resources and reduced risk of layoffs, he added.
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise will require
specialist talent in medical care, including doctors, nursing staff and allied
health professionals. In the next two to three years, it plans to add close to
20,000 employees to its existing 70,000 staff strength, said Jacob Jacob,
Apollo's chief people officer.
Swiss drugmaker Novartis said there is likely
to be a surge in hiring during the first half of 2017 as pharma organisations
seek to consolidate and address pipeline needs.
There will be demand for personnel in areas
such as market access, patient support and key account management, where the
talent pool is limited. India will need to maintain its economic attractiveness
for the virtuous cycle of employment to continue at Novartis. "The influx of cross-industry talent into a
sector that is highly incestuous is critical to its success," Savitha
Shivsankar, country head, HR, Novartis India, told ET. For biopharmaceutical
company Biocon, hiring at the senior-most levels will pertain to department
heads. Many such positions are filled from within and a few are hired from
outside. Amitava Saha, Biocon's senior vice-president and head, HR, said
production and quality jobs will see an increase as the company expands its capacity
over the next couple of years.
Srivastava of Boehringer Ingelheim India
added that there is strong demand for medicine and other health products in
India, which has helped the industry grow. Companies see this as an opportunity
and have expanded their business in India, leading to an increase in creation
of jobs in functions such as sales and marketing. The Indian pharmaceutical
market expanded to $36.7 billion in 2016 from $6 billion in 2005 and is
expected to reach $55 billion by 2020, according to India Brand Equity
Foundation.
Fortis Healthcare will need senior leaders in
the clinical and non-clinical space in the coming months. Bhavdeep Singh, chief
executive officer of Fortis Healthcare, told ET that India faces a shortage of
able specialists in the areas of surgery, gynaecology and paediatrics.
Healthcare workers will remain in demand in
India, given the limited availability of medical staff here—there are only
seven doctors and 17.1nurses for every 10,000 patients here against a global
average of 13.9 and 28.6, respectively, said Jacob of Apollo.
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