Talent Acquisition Leaders in Pharma Shift Focus to Internal Mobility and Workforce Development

In a rapidly evolving pharmaceutical landscape, industry giants are reimagining their approach to talent acquisition and workforce management. Recent developments at Pfizer and Bayer highlight a growing trend towards internal mobility, upskilling, and leveraging technology to retain and develop existing talent.

Reframing Recruitment: From External to Internal

Talent acquisition leaders are pivoting from traditional external hiring practices to a more integrated approach that prioritizes internal talent development. Rowena Vinci, global talent acquisition leader at Pfizer, explains the shift: "Before, recruitment was just focused on external hiring, external sourcing, and then we wait for internal supply. But now, we have shifted to being more proactive partners—to say, the HR business partners in the talent management space. We want to be able to retain the talent instead of heavy external hiring."

This strategic reorientation comes as pharmaceutical companies face restructurings and layoffs, necessitating a delicate balance between achieving business objectives and supporting their workforce. The new approach involves closer collaboration between talent acquisition teams, HR business partners, and hiring managers to proactively identify and nurture internal talent.

Leveraging Technology for Talent Matching and Development

To facilitate this internal mobility, companies are harnessing advanced technologies, including AI and automation. Pfizer has implemented systems for automatic job matching, particularly useful during restructuring events. "Based on their experience, based on their profile, we match them to the open roles that we have," Vinci elaborates. "If we have a restructuring, we're doing some layoffs, those people being affected, we also do automatic job matching for them, so that we will be able to retain talent."

Bayer is taking a similar approach, developing an internal talent marketplace built on skill mapping. Katie Gentry, talent acquisition leader for pharma and enabling functions at Bayer, describes their initiative: "It is going to enable us to move talent across fields, maybe to areas where they have never worked before, but they have a skill set that would be applicable to the projects that are going on."

Upskilling and Reskilling: A New Focus on Workforce Development

Both Pfizer and Bayer are placing increased emphasis on upskilling and reskilling their workforce. Upskilling involves augmenting existing capabilities, while reskilling provides employees with entirely new skill sets. These professional development strategies aim to retain talent rather than replace it, offering benefits such as cost reduction and improved workforce morale.

Bayer has implemented a new operating model called dynamic shared ownership (DSO), which Gentry describes as "a model focused on collaboration and the prioritization of resources towards the highest value work; the employees closest to the work have the decision-making power." This approach allows for greater nimbleness and empowers employees to make decisions that best serve patients.

As the pharmaceutical industry continues to navigate challenges such as pipeline shuffles and the need for business agility, these innovative approaches to talent management and workforce development are likely to become increasingly prevalent. The focus on internal mobility, technology-driven talent matching, and continuous skill development represents a significant shift in how pharmaceutical companies view and nurture their most valuable asset: their people.