Eimear Curran
Executive, BioPharmaChem Ireland
Ireland’s successful biopharma sector is built on our world-class talent, but to sustain its growth and competitiveness, it must fully harness the potential of its workforce.
Fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce that is reflective of the society we live in brings innumerable benefits for every organisation.
Making progress
The biopharmachem sector employs 50,000 people, with women making up 40% of the workforce.1 While progress has been made, women remain underrepresented in senior roles, with only 34% of roles at senior leadership levels held by women. Although this sits above the national average of 24% for all listed companies,2 it highlights a persistent gap at the top. Female representation drops to as low as 17% in traditionally male-dominated fields such as engineering.
According to the BioPharmaChem Skillnet and BioPharmaChem Ireland (BPCI) 2023 report ‘Building Action Through Data’, 26% of organisations cite greater gender diversity as one of their top 10 strategy priorities.3
Some 60% of students cited
poor gender equality as a
barrier to STEM careers.
Inspiring the next generation
Findings from the 2024 I Wish survey on female students’ attitudes to STEM revealed that there’s important work to be done in promoting STEM subjects and career paths to girls at a young age.
Some 60% of students cited poor gender equality as a barrier to STEM careers, and research showed that 68% of all-girls’ schools offer STEM subjects beyond Maths and Science, compared to 87% in mixed schools and 96% in boys’ schools.
Recognising the importance of sparking an interest in STEM at an early age, BPCI — in conjunction with the Department of Education and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment — launched a survey to primary and post-primary schools in the country. It assesses the extent to which schools engage with industry on extra-curricular STEM engagement. A report with the survey findings and recommendations on how to better support schools and close gaps in provision will be launched in Autumn 2025.
Invest in inclusive talent
Nurturing future talent and prioritising diversity and inclusion, through targeted education and industry engagement, are critical to maintaining the sector’s global competitiveness and innovation capacity. Expanding and funding initiatives such as the Apprenticeship Programme, Springboard + and Return to Work schemes is crucial to ensuring that valuable talent is not lost.
[1] skillnetireland.ie/uploads/attachments/An-analysis-of-EDI-in-the-BPC-Industry-in-Ireland-BCP-Skillnet.pdf
[2] betterbalance.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/B4BB_Seventh-Annual-Report-2024-Master-1.pdf
[3] skillnetireland.ie/uploads/attachments/An-analysis-of-EDI-in-the-BPC-Industry-in-Ireland-BCP-Skillnet.pdf
