2016 Healthcare Hiring Predictions

Looking to get ahead of the competition? Wondering what your healthcare hiring strategy should look like in 2016? We asked our consultants for their 2016 healthcare hiring predictions and what they saw in the market as major trends that will affect the industry.

Healthcare Communications Predictions

Healthcare communications has always played catch up with the consumer and tech markets when it comes to moving with the digital times however 2015 was a year of innovation and fresh thinking for pharma companies to bring themselves closer to their consumer counterparts. We saw many pharmaceutical and healthcare specialists put the patient at the heart of the communication strategy, and thinking about new ways to engage with patients and better understand their behaviours.

• Market Research. In 2016 we will see healthcare communicators increasingly work in partnership with data and insight market researchers to better understand behaviours. Training your communications team to understand and apply data and insights will empower them to influence patterns and encourage better medical solutions. As a result we will see an increase of candidates wanting to be able to work across the full healthcare marketing mix and be part of organisations that encourage cross pollination. It will also be important to educate teams on how insights can help start to measure the impact communications has on patients.
• Developers. With the mobile health market booming and consumers increasingly using apps and wearables, digital healthcare companies will be looking to invest in development. Clients will be looking to build on markets within healthcare technology and we will start to see more healthcare and technology teams work hand in hand. Technology knowledge will become increasingly invaluable to health experts. We will also more organisations increase the number of Developers they have in their teams, and train them in specific health knowledge.

Healthcare Insights Predictions

Data Science is fast taking over what has always been known as Market Research. The world of ‘Big Data’ holds an abundance of information at our fingertips which is changing the way healthcare companies find insights and develop strategies. The market research industry has to evolve with the times or be left behind. 2016 will see significant changes, including the rise of new, highly innovative digital analytics and data science companies.

• Cultural Fit. We will see market research and pharma companies pursue the cultural fit of candidates as a priority. This pursuit has been backed up by numerous ‘buzz words’ in the market; collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship – as key hiring traits.
• Real World Evidence. 2016 is headed for much more than just a cultural shift in pharmaceutical hiring strategy. The value of real world evidence (RWE) is becoming clear for pharmaceutical businesses, seeking to create in-house teams who can provide leading commercial and clinical data from all over the world. Whilst agencies are supplying RWE competitively, we expect there to be a surge in demand in-house, for health economists and market access specialists, with both academic and commercial expertise.
• Financial Experience. Another demand we expect to increase in 2016 is a preference for candidates to have financial experience. Corporate financial or private equity experience is becoming a ‘must-have’ for hiring managers due to the analytical competency and broad therapy area experience required. Equity researchers, in turn, are looking to move into pharmaceutical firms for the work life balance, deep therapy experience, and influential leadership provided – even moving country to do so.

Read our Digital Predictions, Branding Predictions and Communications and PR Predictions.

Need help?

If you need help with your 2016 hiring and retention strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us for a confidential discussion. Our consultants are specialist, industry- savvy professionals who know their fields inside-out. We can help you identify what and who you need, and we have the contacts to source the best-fitting candidates.