Even as the talk of a synergy between information technology and biotechnology for faster growth is making the rounds, the fad for IT jobs among youngsters is creating paucity of talent for the pharma and biotech industry.
The problem for pharma industry appears to be manifold, as many youngsters eye a job in the IT and ITeS sectors from the graduation level itself, and mid-level researchers are also feeling the pull, say industry experts.
"The pharma industry in India is also on a huge growth path like the IT industry. But there is a mismatch between demand and supply of talent in the industry," says Prabir Kumar Jha, Global Head (HR), Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.
The shortage is not confined to any single category or skill sets. "There is an acute shortage of manpower at all levels in the industry. It has become very difficult to find the right people to man positions ranging from chemists to serious researchers," says M. Narayana Reddy, President, Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association of India.
These days even retaining employees has become a tough task. "Many people, including junior scientists, are switching over to the IT industry. To retain them, we have no option but to increase salaries," he adds.
During the past three years, salaries have risen significantly — even by 30-40 per cent in some cases. "This is becoming a burden particularly for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as the overheads are becoming too heavy," says Reddy. But salary increases have not succeeded in driving youngsters to the pharma industry. "Measures like salary hikes only provide temporary relief for the management. A long-term perspective is more important. In the race for attracting talent, we are increasing the costs. This will hit the cost advantage for India in drug-making and contract research in the near future," he says.
Jha puts it differently. "On an average, there is a 13-15 per cent salary revision in the industry now. This may not be an issue as far as manpower crunch is concerned. Though pharma was lagging in compensation some years ago, I don't think that at the senior level the salary gap between IT and pharma is significant," he says.
Then comes the issue of pay progression. Analysts agree that salary progression is much faster in IT industry compared to many others, including pharma. "This is an issue but when we make a cross-industry comparison, other aspects such as differences in business models and gestation periods of projects should be factored in," says Jha.
The lure of big bucks and frequent foreign travel drives youngsters to choose IT over biotechnology. "More than anything, it is the pull of money. While the IT pay structure is based on a global delivery model, we cannot expect project-based incomes here," Reddy says. While entry-level salaries are the same in both sectors, the IT industry however is known for quick pay hikes.
The nature of work too differs widely. As Jha explains, a research fellow or scientist working to discover a drug will have to think about the project on a 24x7 basis, even if he is not actually in the lab all the time.
On the contrary, most IT projects are time-bound and may demand little from the IT worker once he/she is out of the office (or offline). This would perhaps explain why weekend bashes are more seen in IT firms than pharma companies.
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"One should also understand that a career in pharma is more stable and satisfying than servicing customers sitting in different countries. Here, we have the satisfaction of making a difference to society and the health of the nation," Jha says.
Interestingly, most youngsters are dazzled by the IT industry's promises of a global lifestyle and the chance to earn more at a younger age. "The craze for a global lifestyle with incentives such as frequent travel across the globe and the current societal craze for a techie are the attractions in IT," says Bepin Chandra, Head (HR), Knoah Solutions.
The ground reality is that the issue needs to be addressed immediately. "Given the pharma growth rates and investments ahead, we need to ramp up manpower," says Dr P.M. Bhargava, Former Director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), and former Vice-Chairman of Knowledge Commission. Even quality graduates are unavailable, he adds.
"Even if we ask a small kid what he wants to become in the future, chances are he'll say he wants to be a software engineer. This is the level of awareness about careers in IT. In the same manner, the pharma industry should also catch them young," says Jha.
But the silver lining is that the pharma industry is not number-intensive unlike IT. "We don't need big numbers but just few good, committed hands," he adds.
----By Sify Home Page
