The number of bioscience jobs in Ohio grew nearly 20 percent over the last decade, which stands in stark contrast to overall employment trends in the state.
From 2000 to 2009, bioscience employment in the state grew to 62,500 workers. Overall employment in the state declined nearly 9 percent, or about 465,000 jobs, in that time frame, according to a (pdf) 49-page report from state biomedical advocacy group BioOhio.
“Ohio’s bioscience ecosystem is healthier than ever and resources are constantly being added or enhanced,” said Tony Dennis, the group’s president.
At 34 percent, Northeast Ohio employs a larger percentage of the state’s bioscience workers than any other region in the state.
Bioscience companies accounted for $4.3 billion in payroll, with the average worker’s salary at about $68,000. The salary number encompasses all occupations in the bioscience sector, not just executives and scientists, according to the report.
The fastest-growing fields of employment within Ohio’s bioscience industry between 2000 and 2009 were jobs in medical and testing laboratories, pharmaceuticals and therapeutics, and research and development.
At both the beginning and end of the decade, medical device and equipment manufacturing was the bioscience subsector that employed the largest number of Ohioans.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Research and development jobs paid the highest wage at an average of more than $81,000 per year.
The state is home to more than 1,300 bioscience-related firms, but more impressive is recent growth in that area. From 2004 to 2010, an average of 59 bioscience companies per year either launched or established their first facilities in Ohio, according to the report.
