34 Central MA Life Sciences Report
"We source talent globally, but we
want to develop talent locally," Stine
said.
Recruiting and retaining
Talent development is top-of-mind
across the life sciences industry. At
Waters Corp., a laboratory equipment
manufacturer founded in Framingham
in 1958, creating a pipeline for young,
junior talent is the top priority, said Ka-
tie O'Neill, its vice president of human
resources.
Internship programs and college
recruitment work helps the efforts, but
filling early-career positions remains an
area needing attention, said O'Neill.
"Life sciences will always continue
to grow," O'Neill said at the WBJ Life
Sciences Forum at the DCU Center on
March 7. She cited a 4% increase in em
-
ployee count at Waters, despite what she
described a hiccup in hiring, creating
challenges.
Even while competition is stiff for
junior talent, the market is still welcom-
ing to up-and-coming companies, able
to position their newer approaches to
life science research to draw in young
employees. At Mercy BioAnalytics, Inc.,
Life sciences employment and salary, in
Worcester County
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
2021 ANNUAL % CHANGE 2021 ANNUAL % CHANGE
INDUSTRY SECTOR AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT 2017 TO 2021 AVERAGE SALARY 2017 TO 2021
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 1,871 42.0% $130,060 16.3%
Research and development in biotechnology (except nanobiotechnology) 2,398 28.9% $144,226 3.2%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories 811 16.2% $106,053 16.4%
Health care and social assistance 68,896 -0.7% $56,979 17.3%
Professional, scientific, and technical services 17,180 10.0% $109,035 24.0%
Katie O'Neill, vice president of human
resources at Waters Corp.
P H O T O / C H R I S T I N E P E T E R S O N
At AbbVie's facility in Worcester,
this one chip contains thousands
of nanopen chambers for testing,
enabling researchers to work
more efficiently.
Continued from page 33
