Massachusetts biopharma employment slips 3.1% in 2025 as R&D jobs fall, while manufacturing rises

A new MassBio industry snapshot shows that total biopharma employment in Massachusetts fell 3.1% in 2025, translating to roughly 3,600 fewer jobs compared with the previous year.

The decline was most pronounced in research and development roles, which dropped 3.9%, while the biomanufacturing segment saw a modest increase.

Despite the overall contraction, several large companies expanded their local workforces. Eli Lilly more than doubled its Massachusetts staff from 540 to 1,423 employees, and Sanofi, AbbVie and Alnylam added 385, 326 and 269 jobs respectively.

Job-posting data from BioSpace reflected a mixed picture, with a downward trend in the first half of 2025 followed by an upward swing in the second half, suggesting a possible rebound in hiring activity.