US pharma manufacturing set for steady job growth through 2034: report

Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing is projected to generate approximately 19,000 production jobs by 2034 in the United States, making it one of the fastest-growing industries for employment growth over 10 years, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The report forecasts pharma manufacturing employment will reach 369,500 by 2034, up from 350,500 jobs in 2024, representing roughly 5% growth. The industry is one of 10 manufacturing segments identified as having the “fastest growing wage and salary employment over the 2024-34 decade.”

BLS also identified occupations expected to add the largest number of jobs across manufacturing industries, with industrial machinery mechanics projected to see the greatest growth sector-wide, adding 41,200 positions from 2024 to 2034. Within the scope of pharmaceutical manufacturing, employment for industrial machinery mechanics is forecast to increase 26.1% during that period, making it one of the industry’s fastest-growing occupations.

Despite that growth, the role accounted for just 1.6% of pharma manufacturing employment in 2024 and is projected to reach 2% by 2034.

Other rapidly growing occupations in pharmaceutical manufacturing include data scientists and information security analysts, which are projected to increase 31.3% and 25%, respectively. However, both occupations currently represent a smaller share of the industry’s workforce, accounting for just 0.3% and 0.1% of employment in 2024.

While data scientists, information security analysts, and industrial machinery mechanics are expected to post some of the fastest percentage growth rates, chemists are projected to see the largest increase in employment by headcount within pharmaceutical manufacturing. BLS forecasts the industry will employ 1,900 additional chemists by 2034, representing 15.6% growth over the decade. 

Meanwhile, packaging and filling machine operators and tenders are expected to add 1,700 jobs — the second-largest increase by headcount in the industry — followed by industrial engineers with 1,600 additional positions. Notably, across all sectors of manufacturing, both occupations are also among the top job-gaining roles overall with the report projecting they will add 14,800 and 25,600 jobs, respectively, across industries through 2034. Those gains within pharmaceutical manufacturing reflect growth rates of 5% and 14.5%, respectively.

Among the 10 fastest-growing manufacturing industries identified by BLS, pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing ranked eighth, trailing semiconductor manufacturing, several food manufacturing segments, and other electrical equipment and component manufacturing industries. The sector also reported one of the highest median annual wages on the list at $68,290, ranking third behind motor vehicle manufacturing and semiconductor as well as other electronic component manufacturing.

The report also found that growth among the fastest-growing manufacturing industries does not reflect a broader increase in factory employment. Overall manufacturing employment is expected to remain relatively flat through 2034, with the workforce changing little from the 12.8 million workers employed in 2024, according to the report.

Pharma manufacturing boom

BLS projections mirror other recent indicators of continued expansion in pharmaceutical manufacturing, including a separate report from global commercial real estate advisory and services firm Newmark, which found that a “resurgence in domestic drug manufacturing has pushed employment in this sector to a 30-year high." 

Driven by Big Pharma’s pledges to invest more than $500 billion in domestic drug manufacturing amid the Trump administration’s ongoing push to reshore pharmaceutical production, U.S. industrial production growth is expected to accelerate over the coming years, according to Newmark.

“Biomanufacturing is one of the most significant green shoots in the U.S. life science market, as billions of dollars of capital has been committed to the onshoring of pharmaceutical production in recent months,” Newmark wrote in its 1Q26 U.S. Life Science Market Conditions & Trends report.

Capital investment in domestic biomanufacturing is rising rapidly, according to Newmark, which said that it now accounts for more than 40% of capital expenditures — outpacing all other sectors by a wide margin in 2025 including automotive/transportation, energy, and high-tech/digitalization.

At the same time, Newmark said in the biotechnology sector hiring “appears to be improving but openings are concentrated in high-growth areas such as AI-driven drug discovery, cell and gene therapy and manufacturing,” while “demand for specialized talent remains strong, as these roles are not easily filled.”