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Employment is expected to increase through 2016. Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing will be one of the fastest growing manufacturing industries.

Employment change. The number of wage and salary jobs in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing is expected to increase by 24 percent over the 2006-16 period, compared with the 11 percent projected for all industries combined. Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing ranks among the fastest growing manufacturing industries. Demand for this industry’s products is expected to remain strong. Even during fluctuating economic conditions, there will be a market for over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including the diagnostics used in hospitals, laboratories, and homes; the vaccines used routinely on infants and children; analgesics and other symptom-easing drugs; antibiotics and other drugs for life-threatening diseases; and “lifestyle” drugs for the treatment of nonlife-threatening conditions.

The use of drugs, particularly antibiotics and vaccines, has helped to eradicate or limit a number of deadly diseases, but many others, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease, continue to elude cures. Ongoing research and the manufacture of new products to combat these diseases will continue to contribute to employment growth. Demand also is expected to increase as the population expands because so many of the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry’s products are related to preventive or routine healthcare, rather than just illness. The growing number of older people, who will require more healthcare services, will further stimulate demand—along with the growth of both public and private health insurance programs, which increasingly cover the cost of drugs and medicines.

Another factor propelling demand is the increasing popularity of “lifestyle” drugs. These drugs treat symptoms of chronic nonlife-threatening conditions resulting from aging or genetic predisposition and can enhance one’s self-confidence or physical appearance. Other factors expected to increase the demand for drugs include greater personal income and the rising health consciousness and expectations of the general public.

Despite the increasing demand for drugs, drug producers and buyers are expected to place more emphasis on cost effectiveness, due to concerns about the cost of health care, including prescription drugs. Growing competition from the producers of generic drugs also may exert cost pressures on many firms in this industry, particularly as brand-name drug patents expire. In addition, the average time for the FDA to review “nonpriority” drug applications is becoming longer, further delaying the time a drug comes to market. These factors, combined with continuing improvements in manufacturing processes, are expected to result in rapid employment growth over the 2006-16 period, but nevertheless slower than occurred during the previous 10-year period.

Strong demand is anticipated for professional occupations—especially for life and physical scientists engaged in R&D, the backbone of the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry. Much of the basic biological research done in recent years has resulted in new knowledge, including the successful identification of genes. Life and physical scientists will be needed to take this knowledge to the next stage, which is to understand how certain genes function so that gene therapies can be developed to treat diseases. Computer specialists such as systems analysts, biostatisticians, and computer support specialists also will be in demand as disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and electronics continue to converge and become more interdisciplinary, creating demand in rapidly emerging fields such as bioinformatics and nanotechnology.

Strong demand also is projected for production occupations. Employment of office and administrative support workers is expected to grow more slowly than the industry as a whole, as companies streamline operations and increasingly rely on computers

Job prospects. Job opportunities in most occupations should be good, particularly for those employees with science and engineering backgrounds. Unlike many other manufacturing industries, the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry is not highly sensitive to changes in economic conditions. Even during periods of high unemployment, work is likely to be relatively stable in this industry. Additional openings will arise from the need to replace workers who transfer to other industries, retire, or leave the workforce for other reasons.

Industry earnings. Earnings of workers in the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry are higher than the average for all manufacturing industries. In 2006, production or nonsupervisory workers in this industry averaged $891 a week, while those in all manufacturing industries averaged $695 a week. Earnings in selected occupations in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing appear in table 2

"Industry earnings. Earnings of workers in the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry are higher than the average for all manufacturing industries. In 2006, production or nonsupervisory workers in this industry averaged $891 a week, while those in all manufacturing industries averaged $695 a week."

Table 2. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, May 2006   

Occupation ; Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing  ; All industries

Medical scientists, except epidemiologists ; $39.73 ; $29.66

Chemists ; 27.51; 28.78

First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers; 27.00 ; 22.74

Maintenance and repair workers, general; 20.51 ; 15.34

Chemical technicians; 19.38 ; 18.87

Biological technicians; 18.93 ; 17.17

Chemical equipment operators and tenders; 17.10 ; 19.37

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; 15.69 ; 14.14

Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders; 14.22 ; 14.10

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders; 11.81 ; 11.06

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