In a period of potential uncertainty surrounding the future of laboratory efficiency and innovation, there are growing concerns regarding the ability to find, hire retain, and develop top lab talent – according to new insights gathered in late 2024 by Functional Service Provider (FSP) and industry-leading life science & clinical talent specialists, Synergy by SRG.
Based on the thoughts and experiences of over 1000 UK laboratory leaders surveyed by Synergy by SRG, the Lab Leader Vision 2025 report highlights the importance of people in lab settings, even in increasingly automated environments, and provides analysis of the workforce challenges labs are facing and how to tackle them.
Staff Retention and Attraction in Laboratories
People and their skills, expertise, experience and dedication are, have been and always will be key to high performance, productivity and efficiency in laboratory environments.
Therefore, losing skilled people can be detrimental to vital projects, potentially causing delays or cancellations; increase pressure on remaining staff; and lead to a need to find, recruit and onboard new people from a limited talent pool, in a highly competitive market.
That’s why, no matter the size of a lab, its projects and challenges, it is vital to not only find, attract and hire the right talent, but ensure people are retained and developed too.
Unfortunately, however, lab leaders are finding that staff retention and attraction are amongst the biggest challenges and concerns they’re facing.
70% of those asked in the Lab Leader Vision survey expressed concern about the ability to retain laboratory talent; with 60% worried about acquiring laboratory staff too – this compares to 66% of respondents asked in 2022. What’s more, 10% of 2024 respondents anticipated that recruitment and retention would be their biggest challenge in 2025.
Skills and Expertise Gap in Laboratories
Demands on labs, their people and their output continue to increase. As a result, the demand for people with the talent and skills required to ensure a lab remains productive and efficient is ever-growing too.
Competition for talent is high. However, the talent pool from which to find and hire people is small. This, according to 78% of lab leaders we asked, is contributing to a concerning and growing skills and expertise gap.
The key to responding to this challenge is, according to Chris Blackburn – Director of Skills Growth at Impellam Group, nurturing existing talent within lab environments and the wider STEM industries. Reacting to the survey’s findings, Blackburn says:
“Empowering people, their skills and aspirations, and nurturing their development and career growth, is key to retaining the talent you already have within your organisation… It is vital to maximise learning and development opportunities tailored to the needs of your people and your company’s goals, to inspire your workforce, drive social mobility and foster fulfilling, exciting and successful career.”
95% of respondents to the Lab Leaders survey had a similar opinion, highlighting a belief that prioritising upskilling is key to achieving lab innovation in future; suggesting that efforts to make a commitment to existing employees and their skill sets are already high on the agenda.
Embracing the Power of Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
In response to the survey’s findings, and what Lab Leaders are telling us about laboratory skill and talent gap concerns, Synergy by SRG – guided by Paul Callery, Head of People at Synergy Scientific Solutions – have highlighted the importance of supporting upskilling efforts via the power of a Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and how you position your laboratory as a place for people to showcase the very best of themselves and their talents, and how you reward them for doing so, is key.
A robust EVP has the power to increase new hire commitment, reduce compensation premium and achieve a deeper reach into the talent market. What’s more, it can help to decrease turnover of existing employees too.
According to Callery, “A strong People Proposition is central to attracting, developing, and retaining the best people, especially in the face of skill shortages and increased competition for people.
“The average job tenure has fallen to just a few years, so a work environment must not only be attractive to great talent when joining, but also one that encourages them to stay too.
“Keeping hold of talent, through engagement, development and growth opportunities, is key.”
About Synergy - Functional Service Provider (FSP)
Synergy provides a flexible FSP model, deploying and integrating expert teams to deliver core Lab Activities across the pharmaceutical, biotech, FMCG, chemical, clinical research, biopharma, and sensory industries.
Powered by SRG, we take a collaborative approach to delivering fundamental core scientific activities, working closely and directly with your team to understand existing processes and infrastructure, identify areas to improve operational efficiencies and innovation, and support business continuity and continued improvement. All whilst allowing your people to focus on what’s most important – your core strategic science and projects.
