For some biotech and pharma professionals, navigating a tough job market includes the extra challenge of living outside of major biopharma hubs, an issue highlighted in a recent BioSpace LinkedIn poll. About eight in 10 respondents struggle to find work because they don’t live in locations such as San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area or Boston/Cambridge, known for having plenty of employers, research universities and networking opportunities.

Also noteworthy: Five of the top 10—Massachusetts, New Jersey, Indiana, Maryland and Virginia—fall outside of the 10 most-populated states, making their employment opportunities even more significant in comparison to their larger counterparts.

For those living outside of major biopharma hubs who are focused on working remotely, that can be challenging. Life sciences employers favor on-site employees, according to the BioSpace 2025 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report, which is based in part on responses to surveys fielded late last year. It found that although 56% of responding companies prefer local candidates but would consider remote roles for certain hires, 24% are only focused on local candidates. A minority of respondents—20%—indicated they’d recruit and hire remote employees regardless of location.

One life sciences professional who responded to the survey expressed frustration with the lack of remote options.

“Due to the push to return to office, I am now fighting for truly remote based work due to not living in a biotech hub, which I’ve never had to do before,” they commented.

Another noted, “The biopharma competitive job market will not improve, especially for those looking for remote roles.”

Despite most employers preferring local candidates, BioSpace Recruitment Manager Greg Clouse said he still hears from many biopharma professionals who want remote work. He shared that one candidate recently rejected an opportunity that would have been a great fit because it required relocation.

Clouse said he finds it odd that people are still holding out hope for remote positions given there aren’t as many of those jobs as there were during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it’s strange that the expectations haven’t really caught up with the new reality, which is really just kind of the old reality,” he said.

Relocation Isn’t Always a Solution

Given there are only a few major biopharma hubs around the country, Clouse noted that job candidates outside of them must get used to having fewer employers to choose from for local employment.

“You’re just going to have to live with that environment, or you’re going to have to change your industry or you’re going to have to move,” he said.

Miller is among those willing to relocate if needed but noted that doing so would depend on a few factors, including whether the employer offers a relocation package. They said they’ve seen many companies require candidates to move but not pay for the associated costs.

“It’s very expensive, and I think employers don’t really consider the impact to people on relocating, because it’s such a time hassle, it’s a financial hassle,” Miller said.

They noted it becomes even more complex for those with families, and Clouse agreed.

“Most families now are two-income earners,” he said, “and if you relocate for a job, what does that do to your other earner in the household?”

Miller noted, “I think relocating is not exactly the solution that employers seem to think it is.”

Flexibility Can Be Key to Employment Outside of Major Hubs

Not everyone struggles to find work when living outside of a major biopharma hub. Paul Marganski of Seymour, Connecticut, told BioSpace he hasn’t had issues. He chalked his success up in part to having some big-name companies on his resume, such as Medtronic, where he once had a permanent position; Alexion, which is now AstraZeneca Rare Diseases, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca; and Biogen.

Marganski has also moved between two related industries: biopharma and medical device. While he recently spent seven years at pharmas, he’s now in a contract role for Medtronic as a principal program manager. Marganski has a hybrid arrangement there, spending two to three days per week at the medical device company’s New Haven, Connecticut, facility. He acknowledged that if he needed a remote position, it might be more challenging to get a job now than it was five to seven years ago.

When it comes to finding work outside of major biopharma hubs, flexibility can be helpful, according to Marganski.

“The harder it is to find a job generally, or the worse the job market is, you have to be really flexible, I think, and be willing to take chances and kind of bet on yourself,” he said.

For example, Marganski suggested, “Even though you may not fit all the requirements of the job description, it doesn’t mean you can’t apply for it and say, ‘I may not have this direct experience, but I have this, this and this, and X, Y and Z add up to more value or at least as much value as having this skill specifically.’”

He also recommended that biopharma professionals identify skills that could transfer to other industries and consider moving from industry to academia. Marganski noted that Yale University in New Haven, for example, hires lab professionals for drug discovery and clinical trial work.

Miller has worked at a private university, the Wentworth Institute of Technology, and said they’d consider doing that again or going to a tech company for system administration work. However, they noted, often companies want people to have experience in exactly what a job will entail.

“If they were more open to transferable skills, then it could actually help a lot of people out,” Miller said.

Taking Breaks When Needed

Regarding the job search itself, while Miller has applied to scores of positions, they’ve also hit pause on occasion.

“I think it’s healthy to take breaks from it, especially when there’s just not a lot of fish biting,” they said.

In addition, Miller has spent some time volunteering and just started pursuing a project management certificate.

“I’m learning that a lot of what I’ve done in my previous roles is basically project management,” they said. “I just haven’t had a formalized structure around that. But that’s been really interesting.”

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