Massachusetts Biopharma Employment Falls 3.1%, Cutting 3,600 Jobs as R&D Drops 3.9%
Updated
Updated · BioSpace · Aug 25
Massachusetts Biopharma Employment Falls 3.1%, Cutting 3,600 Jobs as R&D Drops 3.9%
2 articles · Updated · BioSpace · Aug 25
Summary
About 3,600 Massachusetts biopharma jobs disappeared in 2025, ending more than two decades of annual growth after employment had risen just 0.1% in 2024.
R&D drove much of the decline: the state lost 2,563 research jobs, down 3.9%, the steepest drop among major hubs and second only to Maryland and Washington in percentage losses.
Biomanufacturing partly offset the slide, adding 238 jobs for 2.4% growth after two straight yearly declines, even as larger manufacturing states New Jersey and California shrank.
Eli Lilly more than doubled its Massachusetts workforce to 1,423, while Sanofi, AbbVie and Alnylam also expanded local headcount this year, suggesting hiring has improved since late 2025.
MassBio said the state still holds 22.3% of the U.S. biopharma R&D workforce, but warned that startup funding, federal innovation support and a more predictable FDA remain critical to recovery.