Newfound Opportunities: The Biopharma Industry Fuels Jobs and Cures Across the U.S.

American manufacturing has a growth story that doesn't get told often enough. A new report found that the biopharmaceutical industry grew nearly six times faster than the broader manufacturing sector over the last decade — and continues to show strong momentum. To put that growth in context: employment in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing grew 24% between 2015 and 2024 — more than twice as fast as the overall private sector. This isn't a sector that's keeping up with the economy. It's leading it.

That momentum is no accident. It is the direct result of sustained long-term investment in American biopharmaceutical innovation. However, these investments are now at risk as lawmakers weigh policies that could undercut the industry's competitive foundation.

A Workforce Built for Everyone

Since January 2025, life sciences companies have poured a record level of investment into the U.S., matched by a real commitment to American workers.

Workers of all backgrounds are contributing to this rise in innovation; it’s not just college educated individuals who are benefitting from more job opportunities in the life sciences. The report shows that demand is increasing for technical and skills-based roles, which require a credential, certification, or targeted on-the-job training rather than a four-year degree. These positions account for 42% of biopharmaceutical manufacturing employment today and are projected to account for the largest share of the nearly 30,000 new hires or reskilled workers the sector is expected to need annually between 2025 and 2034.

What do these jobs look like in practice? Think sterile fill-finish technicians, quality control analysts, packaging and filling machine operators, industrial maintenance mechanics, and bioprocess operators. These are hands-on, plant-floor roles accessible through community college certificates, apprenticeships, and targeted on-the-job training — careers that offer competitive wages, clear advancement pathways, and long-term stability.

Companies aren't just creating those jobs — they're investing directly in the pipelines to fill them. Apprenticeships, boot camps, and stackable credential programs from leading companies are equipping workers across the country with the skills to step directly into these roles.

The Stakes

The surge in onshoring and reshoring is bringing manufacturing, innovation, and jobs back to communities across the country — including in regions without deep legacy life sciences infrastructure. Every new facility and every expansion translates into something concrete: durable jobs for skilled workers and faster paths to treatment for patients.

But this progress isn't guaranteed. Lawmakers now face a choice: protect the conditions that have made America a global leader in life sciences, or risk forfeiting decades of progress to with short-sighted price controls that would reduce incentives to invest and innovate here at home.

American workers — and the patients they help serve — can't afford for policymakers to get that choice wrong.