New job finder for life sciences workers

There are plenty of job-seekers out there; numerous pharmaceutical companies in the region have laid off thousands of workers in the past few years.

Two area pharmaceutical firms announced layoffs this month, affecting hundreds of workers. At the same time a Delaware organization has started a job search service for people in the industry. WHYY’s health and science reporter Kerry Grens has more on where the opportunities are.

The layoffs at Lonza in Conshohocken and Sanofi Aventis in Malvern are just the latest in a string of closures and consolidations that have left thousands of workers in the life sciences field on the job market.

Bob Dayton is the president of Delaware Bio.

Dayton: As a result we find more and more folks that are in the life science industry are looking for new opportunities, and often those new opportunities are with smaller entities that are not as well known as the large pharmaceutical companies.

Delaware Bio has launched a new career center — because there are jobs to be had. Colleen Hamilton is the executive director of the Life Sciences Career Alliance, based in Norristown.

Hamilton: What we’re starting see is a number of employers starting to gain confidence in being able to post positions for jobs that maybe six months or nine months ago they were a little bit apprehensive about posting for.

While large companies are shrinking, smaller firms are starting up – but Hamilton says they have a difficult time finding staff because they are less known and may not have dedication human resources departments.

Hamilton says the Delaware Bio Career Center, much like one offered by Pennsylvania Bio, will help small companies — and job seekers.