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Interviews
The Business Times 19 March 09 "Recruitment Still Strong in Asia's Biomedical Sector"
"Bucking the trend in other industries, recruitment in Asia's biomedical science sector remains strong despite the economic downturn, says recruitment firm ScienTec Consulting.
Talent is in demand by contract research organisations (CROs), biotech firms and pharmaceutical companies setting up R&D bases in the region. ScienTec alone has about 100-150 immediate positions waiting to be filled, of which 80 per cent are in Singapore.
"More companies are basing clinical trial studies in the region as they look to create more personalised medicines and need access to Asian populations," said ScienTec managing director Karen Tok. "We are also seeing an increase in R&D and contract manufacturing outsourcing companies in Asia."
Speaking at a seminar on talent resource challenges at the Biomedical Asia 2009 conference yesterday, Ms Tok said the talent crunch has prompted companies to offer incentives and benefits to draw the cream of the crop. These include business class flights, travel allowances, sign on bonuses or bonuses tied to length of service.
For specialists with more than 10 years' experience, job hoppers can continue to expect the standard wage increment of 10-20 per cent. For mid to junor-level positions, recruitment activity is hot enough to have led ScienTec to set up a separate division last year.
"Although biomedical sciences companies in Asia are still recruiting, the global economic crisis has meant they are being more strategic in their recruitment," said Ms Tok. "For example, many now focus on resource optimisation, trying to get individuals who can multi-task in different roles, or get the best talent for their employment dollar."
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"I see a lot of openings in the pharmaceutical manufacturing and healthcare sectors, as these groups are large and require all types of support staff," said Ms Karen Tok, Consulting Director, Asia of ScienTec Search, a leading executive and specialist search firm for the biomedical sciences and technology sectors in Asia. "There is a high demand for biomedical science jobs, such as local and regional sales, marketing, business development, human resource, public relations, licensing and commercialisation, IT support, quality assurance and database management."
"I expect that there will be an increasing need for sales, sales support and marketing-related positions, as the biotech companies complete their product research and start to license and commercialise their products, and more lab supply and medical device companies expand and grow due to more new labs being set up and the growth in healthcare services in Singapore and Asia region. There should also be an increase in regional responsibility for these roles as many MNCs are using Singapore as a base for their regional operations, as the biomedical sciences industry grows and matures in Asia," explained Ms Tok.
Business Time Interview on Biotech Recruitment 22 May 06
22 May 2006
The Business Times Singapore
Asian Life Sciences Boom
".demand (for life sciences talent) will go on for much longer than the dot.com cycle. It may stabilize after 10 years because of fewer companies entering. Because life sciences investments take a long time to ROI (return on investment) whereas a dot.com can ROI in a shorter time - the ones that come into life sciences research must have enough funding to last them longer, beyond five, 10 years. So you don't see the bubble bursting so quickly.''
Ms Karen Tok, Managing Director, ScienTec Search
HR Magazine Ref Check Sep 04 (click here to download)
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) 30 Nov 05
30 November 2005
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Premier Biomedical Conference Attracts Experts From Around The World
This message was reiterated by Ms. Karen Tok, Director Biosciences, ScienTec Search, which is a company focusing on HR recruitment. "Judging from the recruitment activity in the biosciences industry, it is clear that this sector has been progressing well, over the last few years. At today's exhibition, we have already had many enquiries, as companies are expanding their operations here." ScienTec was one of the 100 exhibitors at the Biotechnica Asia 2004 exhibition, which was held in conjunction with the conference. The exhibition showcased biomedical companies, research centres, universities, hospitals and also featured national pavilions from the U.K. and Germany."
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