Pharma 50: best pharma companies to work for
The pharmaceutical industry continues to see strong growth and is poised to have a compound annual growth rate of 13.7% from 2020 to 2027, according to projections from Grand View Research. The best pharma companies to work for continue to offer a number of advantages to skilled workers.
Pharma positions remain in high demand, and R&D-focused pharma and biotech companies tend to offer lucrative salaries and strong job security.
Slated to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.34% from 2021 to 2028, according to projections from Grand View Research, the industry has entered a solid growth phase.
[This feature is a part of 2022’s Pharma 50 series.]
The growing adoption of Pharma 4.0 technologies and artificial intelligence is driving new opportunities for workers.
To understand which pharmaceutical companies in the sector were the best employers, we analyzed data on company review sites Glassdoor, Indeed.com, Comparably and other sources.
Below are the 15 companies that came in on top. (And browse data on all the Pharma 50 companies here.)
1. Sage Therapeutics
Sage Therapeutics, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.5/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.4/5
82% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Workers at Sage Therapeutics praised the company’s benefits, work-life balance and culture. The company’s CEO, Barry Greene, won solid support from employees. One reviewer praised the company’s support of allowing employees to decide whether to go into the office. “It is completely up to the employee when they would like to come/go,” the employee said.
The company has a work-life balance score of 4.3 on the employment website Indeed.com with compensation/benefits getting a higher score of 4.6.
Cons: In the negative column, some employees on Glassdoor complained about the company’s growing pains.
2. Genentech, a member of the Roche Group
Genentech, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.3/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
84% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Employees praised the company’s benefits and culture, while many employees appreciated the work-life balance the company provided. One worker highlighted the opportunity to “work with amazing people doing great science.” In addition, the “campus is amazing with wonderful amenities,” the employee continued. Forbes ranked the company as the 11th best place to work for new grads.
Cons: Under the negative column, some Genentech employees concluded that the company had a stressful work environment. A number of workers also complained about the high cost of living in the Bay Area, where Genentech is headquartered. “Salaries are not quite adjusted for the housing costs,” one worker wrote.
3. Pfizer
Pfizer, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.3/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.2/5
83% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Most workers at Pfizer believe the company affords a good work environment and benefits. Forbes ranked Pfizer as the 35th best place to work for new grads. One worker concluded that Pfizer was an “awesome company with great people.” Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla was also popular, with 90% approving of his performance.
Pfizer was listed as the most innovative pharmaceutical company in a 2021 roundup from BCG, coming in at slot #10 overall.
Cons: As with several other Big Pharma companies, some employees criticized Pfizer’s large company dynamic. A significant number of workers lamented the lack of work-life balance at the company, while others lamented the lack of job security. In addition, some workers complained of an unclear strategy from upper management. “There is a disconnect between the company values and their implementation by upper management,” one worker wrote.
4. Roche Pharmaceuticals
Roche, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.2/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.2/5
93% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Employees were pleased with Roche’s benefits. One worker praised the company’s “well-established systems and structure, good benefits [and] friendly colleagues.”
Roche’s CEO, Severin Schwan, remains popular, with 93% of employees approving him. A year ago, 97% of workers supported Roche’s top executive.
One employee concluded Roche was “a great company to cut one’s teeth at if you’re a recent graduate. If you can make it to direct-hire status, the pay and benefits can be extremely favorable.”
Cons: Some complained about its senior management, citing frequent changes in upper management staffing. Several employees complained about the long hours necessary to keep up at the company, with one worker lamenting the company’s “demanding timelines.”
5. Janssen (Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical segment)
Janssen, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.2/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.2/5
91% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Many of Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical employees were happy with their benefits. One worker concluded that the company had “great, supportive people who obviously wanted to see me succeed.” In addition, the company offered a “great work environment, beautiful campus, delicious lunches [and] compassionate leadership,” the employee continued. The company was ranked #88 in Forbes’ ranking of top employers.
Cons: Some workers complained about the bureaucracy that is common within large organizations. One worker concluded that the large size makes it challenging to get to know employees in other departments.
6. Novartis
Novartis, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.2/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
87% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Novartis workers appreciated the company’s work environment, benefits and flexible hours. The company’s CEO, Vas Narasimhan, received high marks, with 93% of workers on Glassdoor approving him. Narasimhan was ranked as one of Glassdoor’s top CEOs, coming in at slot #23 overall.
Novartis was included in the 2021 BCG roundup of the most innovative companies.
The company was also ranked #100 in Forbes’ ranking of top employers across sectors.
Cons: Employees with negative feedback complained about the company’s bureaucratic decision-making process and upper management remaining unconnected. Some reviewers felt overworked, while several others concluded there was an unclear career development path.
7. Merck & Co.
Merck, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.2/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
84% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Merck topped Forbes’ list of best places to work for new grads. Many employees praised the company’s culture and work environment. New CEO Rob Davis has an approval rating of 79%, which is considerably lower than the 96% approval rating of former Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier.
Merck came in at slot #100 in Fortune’s ranking of top employers.
Cons: Some workers complained about the company’s upper management and strategic direction. One employee complained that the company had “no pipeline,” adding that the company was “internally focused on bureaucracy versus the business.”
8. Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.2/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
86% would recommend to a friend
Pros: A significant number of workers were pleased with the company’s work-life balance and benefits. It is “amazing to work in such a great company,” one employee said.
Cons: Some workers complained that Novo Nordisk focused more on the needs of Danish employees than those of workers in other countries. One worker wrote that the company could sometimes be “bureaucratic and slow to make decisions,” one worker wrote. “It is still quite a centralized organization, so many decisions fail to take into account the local conditions, and the culture and management is still pretty Danish.”
9. AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.1/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
86% would recommend to a friend
Pros: AstraZeneca employees were happy with their positions’ benefits and work-life balance. A total of 92% of Glassdoor reviewers approved of the company’s CEO, Pascal Soriot, who came in at slot #77 overall of CEOs overall.
Cons: Some AstraZeneca faulted the company’s senior management. “Senior management seems very old school and lots of room for improvement in top-down communication,” one Glassdoor reviewer wrote.
10. Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.1/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
86% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Boehringer Ingelheim provides “great benefits and strong corporate values,” wrote one Glassdoor reviewer. In addition, the company offers “a sense of purpose,” the employee continued. On Comparably, the company got an “A–” for compensation and a “B+” for perks and benefits.
Cons: Some employees criticized the company’s upper management and lack of work-life balance. On Comparably, one employee concluded that the “goal to improve is tossed around as a placeholder for actually being good, but we aren’t approaching it critically like a real project, so no improvement is made.”
11. Bayer
Bayer, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.1/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
85% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Bayer scored well with workers in terms of its work environment, benefits and pay. On Comparably, workers gave the company’s culture and compensation a grade of “A+” with one employee concluding that Bayer was an “excellent company with a great culture.” The company “treats people like intelligent adults,” the employee continued.
Cons: Some workers on Glassdoor complained about Bayer’s slow decision-making and the communication from upper management.
12. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.0/5
Indeed.com rating: 3.8/5
83% would recommend to a friend
Pros: The company’s CEO, Belén Garijo, won the approval of 86% of the workers. Workers also praised the company’s working environment and benefits at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Merck, KGaA was ranked #110 in Forbes’ ranking of top employers across sectors.
Cons: Some workers complained about the company’s slow decision-making and the current state of its pipeline.
13. Amgen
Amgen, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.0/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.0/5
81% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Many workers were happy with the company’s work environment and benefits. “Amgen is a great place to safely hone your skills alongside supportive management that welcomes stretch projects,” one employee wrote on Glassdoor. “Work-life balance is better than most.” Comparably, reviews were similar on the site, with employees giving the company an “A” for perks and benefits and a “B+” for pay.
Cons: Some employees complained about the company’s slow decision-making, while others lamented the need to move to Thousand Oaks, California. On Comparably, only 44% of workers were happy with their work-life balance. Most workers on the site concluded that the pace of work was “extremely fast.”
14. Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.0/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.1/5
76% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Many employees on Glassdoor praised the company’s work-life balance and benefits. One worker praised Lilly’s “rich professional community” and “bright professionals,” concluding that “leadership cares about the employees.” Lilly is a “great place to learn and grow your professional skills,” the worker concluded.
A total of 84% of Glassdoor reviewers approve of the company’s CEO, David A. Ricks.
Cons: Several workers complained of the need to relocate to Indianapolis to secure a job at Lilly. Over the years, several employees complained about the company’s lackluster pipeline.
15. Biogen
Biogen, 15 of the best pharma companies to work for
Glassdoor rating: 4.0/5
Indeed.com rating: 4.0/5
73% would recommend to a friend
Pros: Many Biogen workers were pleased with the company’s benefits, culture and work environment. The company’s CEO, Michel Vounatsos, drew the support of 71% of Glassdoor reviewers. “Benefits are hard to beat,” one reviewer wrote. The company offers a sabbatical every six years and provides “great benefits for new parents (maternity and paternity leave) and for caregivers,” the reviewer continued. On Comparably, 80% of employees reported that Biogen had a positive work environment.
Cons: Some workers complained about the company’s work-life balance and lack of support from senior management. On Comparably, Biogen reviewers stated they worked an average of 9.3 hours per day.
Filed Under: Drug Discovery and Development
