Our Take
Pharma discovered that coordinated workforce development beats the talent war, but this works only because tariff policy forced everyone to grow at once in the same region.
Why it matters
Onshoring commitments from J&J, Roche, Eli Lilly and others are generating acute labor demand in concentrated geographies. State-level forums are becoming the infrastructure that makes those investments stick without creating a poaching death spiral.
Do this week
Manufacturing site leaders: audit your local trade association's workforce development initiatives this quarter so you can sync hiring timelines with competitors before Q3 ramp.
Pharma trades secrecy for coordination
US drugmakers are collaborating through state trade associations to recruit and develop manufacturing workers instead of competing for scarce local talent. At the 2026 BIO conference in San Diego (22–25 June), representatives from trade groups and pharma companies reported success using state-wide forums to coordinate with local governments and higher education institutions.
The shift reflects a decades-old principle. In the early 1990s, North Carolina life sciences companies formed the genesis of NCLifeSci specifically to avoid poaching each other's employees. The framework has expanded to include academic institutions and now operates as the Biotech Manufacturers Forum (BMF).
North Carolina has become the primary test case. J&J committed $2 billion in 2025 and Roche committed $2 billion in 2026 to the state (company-reported). Eli Lilly joined the BMF to discuss its growing talent needs with rival companies rather than raid their payroll. "A rising tide lifts all boats," said Jennifer Petty, Lilly's senior director of human resources.
Oregon is replicating the model. Through Oregon Life Sciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific's Bend site director James Hulvat noted that competitors are now sharing hiring plans and initiatives they would once have hidden from each other.
Onshoring tariffs forced the collaboration
This is not idealism. The wave of onshoring commitments follows President Donald Trump's tariff policy on pharmaceutical imports. Companies seeking exemptions have earmarked billions to build domestic facilities, compressing manufacturing growth into specific states and creating acute, simultaneous labor demand.
Without coordination, that demand would trigger wage inflation and employee turnover as companies bid against each other for the same pool of workers. The trade association structure intercepts that cycle by making workforce planning transparent and pooling recruitment effort.
Bill Monteith, programme manager of NCLifeSci's BMF, identified workforce development as a top priority for the region. Five years of unprecedented biopharma sector growth in North Carolina preceded the recent tariff-driven acceleration, giving the state infrastructure in place when demand spiked.
The model works because it aligns incentives: each company benefits from a larger, better-trained labor pool in its region, even if competitors gain access to the same workers. Smaller biopharma hubs are adopting the approach, suggesting the coordination infrastructure itself has become a site-selection advantage.
What to do if you're onshoring
If your company is opening or scaling manufacturing facilities in a state with active biopharma trade forums, join immediately and share your hiring projections. Transparency on headcount and skill gaps allows the forum to align academic pipelines and government support before your ramp date.
Do not assume your competitors will treat workforce coordination as legitimate. Some organizations still view talent acquisition as zero-sum. Establish ground rules early with forum leadership on what information is shared and what remains proprietary (headcount timelines can be shared; compensation strategy should not).
If your state lacks a formal mechanism, catalyze one through your industry association. The model requires initial friction to establish norms, but the payoff is a stable labor market instead of a wage spiral. Request that academic institutions align curriculum with manufacturing needs at least 18 months before your hiring window.