Parexel Unveils New Industry Report: Global Survey of More Than 500 Pharmaceutical, Biotech and CRO Leaders & Frontline Workers Highlights Key Workforce Trends & Opportunities

By: Parexel International LLC via GlobeNewswire

May 15, 2025 at 06:58 AM EDT

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Identified as a Key Area for Continued Workforce Training & Development with 51% of Biopharmaceutical Leaders Naming AI Experts as a Top Role to Fill in Next 3-5 Years
82% of Industry Senior Leaders Believe Cross-Functional Roles Will Increase, with Adaptability & Agility Called Out as the Most Critical Skills Needed for the Workforce of the Future
Clinical Research Organizations Uniquely Positioned to Lead Workforce Transformation
Report Findings Highlighted at Financial Times U.S. Pharma & Biotech Summit Today in New York

DURHAM, N.C., May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parexel, one of the world’s largest clinical research organizations (CROs) providing the full range of Phase I to IV clinical development services, today launched a comprehensive report aimed at understanding the role that culture, key skill sets and talent delivery models play in driving innovation in clinical development. “Optimizing the clinical research workforce: An industry analysis by Parexel” benchmarks the trends and innovations having the greatest impact on drug development and identifies the skills required for today’s workforce to meet the needs of this evolving landscape. Parexel’s research draws from an extensive quantitative and qualitative survey of more than 500 senior leaders and frontline workers across pharmaceutical, biotech and CROs in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

“The biopharmaceutical industry is rapidly evolving, driven by significant data and technology advancements, an evolving regulatory landscape and increasing clinical trial complexity,” said Keri Mattox, Chief Business Officer at Parexel. “This study analyzes these trends and outlines steps we can take to best foster, develop and support our industry’s most valuable asset — its people.”

Key Report Findings

AI accelerates insights and streamlines tasks, significantly improving how clinical research professionals can provide thoughtful input and create critical output assessments. The report found that 51% of biopharmaceutical leaders see AI experts as one of the top three roles they need to fill in the next three to five years and that there is a critical need to continue to prepare and train today’s workforce to harness the power of AI.
Continuous and robust training is essential for effective workforce development. Companies that prioritize continuous learning, embrace new technologies and offer purposeful work environments are best positioned to attract and retain top talent. According to the report, 87% and 82% of biopharmaceutical leaders cite innovative trial approaches and cross-functional training as top needs, respectively.
Hybrid clinical trial models are gaining ground with sponsors employing various models to meet specific requirements, such as feasibility, project management and site selection. Over the next two to three years, leaders anticipate shifting slightly more toward hybrid outsourcing models as this combines the end-to-end services and efficiency of Full Service Outsourcing (FSO) with the flexibility and control over workforce talent offered by Functional Service Provider (FSP) partnerships.
Adaptability and agility are the most critical skills needed and are critical for navigating and executing tomorrow’s clinical trials. Survey respondents ranked adaptability to AI, scientific expertise and data interpretation as the top three skills needed.
CROs are well positioned to lead workforce transformation as they are already leading workforce transformation with support from biopharmaceutical companies. Through workforce investments and training, CROs can bridge the gap in current capabilities to create the skills and knowledge needed to meet the new and evolving demands of the biopharmaceutical industry.

Parexel will showcase key insights from the report at the Financial Times' US Pharma and Biotech Summit held on May 15, 2025, in New York. Keri Mattox will share how the latest trends in clinical research are driving the transformation of the industry's workforce and discuss how to foster and support an agile, future-ready workforce. In addition, Jenny Denney, Executive Vice President, Global Head of FSP at Parexel, will also join experts from Takeda and Regeneron for a panel discussion on emerging trends, challenges, and innovations in hybrid and decentralized clinical trials (DCTs). They’ll examine key considerations for reshaping patient engagement and data collection, optimizing studies to support patient choice, applying AI and real-time analytics, and evaluating regulatory readiness.

Access the full “Optimizing the clinical research workforce: An industry analysis by Parexel” report.

About Parexel
Parexel is among the world’s largest clinical research organizations (CROs), providing the full range of Phase I to IV clinical development services to help life-saving treatments reach patients faster. Leveraging the breadth of our clinical, regulatory and therapeutic expertise, our team of more than 24,000 global professionals works in partnership with biopharmaceutical leaders, emerging innovators and sites to design and deliver clinical trials with patients in mind, increasing access and participation to make clinical research a care option for anyone, anywhere. Our depth of industry knowledge and strong track record gained over the past 40 years is moving the industry forward and advancing clinical research in healthcare’s most complex areas, while our innovation ecosystem offers quality solutions to make every phase of the clinical trial process more efficient. With the people, insight and focus on operational excellence, we work With Heart™ every day to treat patients with dignity and continuously learn from their experiences, so every trial makes a difference. This approach continues to earn us recognition industrywide, with Parexel being the recipient of the 2024 and 2023 Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) Eagle Award for advancing the clinical research profession through strong site partnerships, named “Best Contract Research Organization” in November 2023 by an independent panel for Citeline, and “Top CRO to Work With” by investigative sites worldwide in the 2023 WCG CenterWatch Global Site Relationship Benchmark Survey. For more information, visit parexel.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.

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Danaka Williams
+1 984 298 4207
Danaka.Williams@parexel.com

Addison Stallings
+1 984 833 6362
Addison.Stallings@parexel.com