The Role of Internal Mobility in Retaining Top Talent in Life Sciences: Why Your Best People Are Looking Elsewhere When They Should Be Looking Up

I had a conversation last week that perfectly captures what's happening in life sciences right now. A talented clinical research associate at a pharmaceutical company told me she was leaving for a competitor. Not because she was unhappy with her work, not because of money, and definitely not because she wanted to start over somewhere new.

She was leaving because after three years of excellent performance reviews and expressed interest in moving into project management, her company kept hiring external candidates for senior roles while she remained stuck in the same position.

"They keep telling me I'm not ready," she said, "but then they hire someone from outside who has to spend six months learning everything I already know about their systems and processes."

Sound familiar? While companies spend months and thousands of euros recruiting externally, their best internal candidates are walking out the door to find growth opportunities elsewhere.

The Problem Everyone Knows But Nobody's Fixing

Look, I'm going to be blunt here. Most life sciences companies are doing something really stupid. They've got these brilliant people sitting right there - people who already know their systems inside and out, who get along with the team, who've been delivering results for years. These same people are practically begging for more responsibility, better roles, new challenges.

And what do these companies do? They ignore them and post job ads on LinkedIn instead.

I watch this play out constantly. Company spends six months searching for an external hire, pays a premium salary, then watches that person stumble around for months trying to figure out basic processes that Sarah from Quality Systems could teach them in her sleep. Meanwhile, Sarah's updating her CV because she's tired of being overlooked.

Just last month, I saw a brilliant regulatory affairs specialist leave to become a consultant. Why? Her company hired three external managers above her in two years. Three! Each time, she applied internally and got the "you're not quite ready yet" speech. Guess what happened when she left? They had to hire a consultant at double her salary to handle her workload.

It's happening everywhere. The quality coordinator who joined a competitor because there was literally no promotion path at his current company. The clinical data manager who went to a CRO just to get the "senior" title her own company wouldn't give her.

Each time this happens, you lose institutional knowledge, cultural fit, and someone who was already productive in your environment. Then you spend months recruiting externally, pay premium salaries to attract external candidates, and invest in lengthy onboarding processes.

The Real Numbers That Should Worry You

Let me share some data that might change how you think about this. Organizations with high internal mobility report 53% longer employee tenure compared to those with low internal mobility. More specifically, 73% of employees who moved internally stayed with their company three years later, compared to only 56% of those who didn't move internally.

But here's the number that really surprised me: employees who make internal moves are 40% more likely to stay at the company for at least three years. The people you develop internally stick around significantly longer than the external hires you're spending so much effort recruiting.

Internal candidates also reach full productivity in three months, compared to six months for external hires. While an external hire is figuring out where the coffee machine is, your internal candidate is already contributing at full capacity.

From a cost perspective, the difference is dramatic. Internal hires cost about 60% less than external hires, and companies save $7,500 on average per internal hire in training and onboarding costs alone. When you consider that typical agency fees for external recruitment range between 20-30% of the starting salary, and that turnover costs can reach $25,000 or more per departure, internal hiring delivers significantly better ROI.

Why Life Sciences Companies Struggle With This More Than Others

I understand why internal mobility is particularly challenging in our industry. Life sciences roles often require very specific technical knowledge and regulatory understanding. When you need someone who understands EMA guidelines or FDA validation requirements, it feels safer to hire someone with that specific experience rather than develop it internally.

Recent surveys show that 60% of life sciences leaders identify government regulation and cost pressure as disruptive trends for mobility and talent management. Add to this the talent shortage reality - industry reports consistently cite this as one of the most disruptive trends in life sciences, making internal mobility not just beneficial but essential.

But here's what I've learned working with successful life sciences companies: these challenges are real, but they're not insurmountable. The companies that figure out internal mobility don't ignore these complexities. They plan for them.

What Companies That Get This Right Are Actually Doing

The life sciences companies with strong internal mobility programs think strategically about talent development, not just reactively about filling open positions.

They actually talk to people about their careers before it becomes a problem. I know this sounds revolutionary, but the best companies don't wait for their star performer to storm into their manager's office demanding a promotion. They're having career conversations six months ahead of time. "Hey Sarah, I see you crushing it in quality systems. Have you thought about moving into validation? Here's what that would look like."

They train people for real jobs, not just general "development." Generic leadership courses don't create internal mobility. But sending your clinical research associate to get regulatory training because you know there's going to be a regulatory affairs opening? That works. It's

specific, it's purposeful, and everyone knows where it's leading.

They let people try before they buy. Want to see if someone can handle project management? Give them a small project to manage. Thinking about promoting someone to team lead? Let them lead a cross-functional initiative first. It's like a test drive, but for careers.

They make managers actually care about developing people. Here's the thing - if you only measure managers on their quarterly numbers, why would they spend time preparing their best people to leave their team? Smart companies track this stuff. They look at how many people managers develop and promote. The data shows it works too - organizations doing this right see 17% better engagement and 18% better retention.

People actually know what's available and what it takes to get there. You can't aim for something you don't know exists. The companies getting this right aren't keeping career paths secret. They're posting internal openings first, sharing skill requirements, and being honest about what it really takes to move up.

The Partnership Approach That Actually Works

I'm not saying internal mobility replaces external recruitment. The most successful companies use both strategically. Recent industry outlooks confirm this trend. Life sciences HR leaders are highlighting internal mobility as a "must-have" for 2025, with the majority of companies formalizing internal mobility programs as a top retention initiative.

At PNJ Global, I work with clients to audit their internal talent, identify development opportunities, and create pathways that keep their best people engaged and growing. Sometimes this means we recruit less for them in the short term, but it always means they're building stronger, more stable teams for the long term.

Stop Losing People You've Already Invested In

Here's my challenge to you: look at your last five senior-level departures. How many of those people could have been developed internally if you'd started planning their advancement six months earlier? How many left because they didn't see a future with your company?

If you're like most life sciences companies, the answer will make you uncomfortable. You're probably losing good people not because you can't compete on salary or benefits, but because you can't compete on career development.

The companies that will win in the current talent market aren't just those that can attract the best external candidates. They're the ones that can keep their internal talent engaged, growing, and advancing within the organization.

Ready to transform how you develop and retain your best people? Let's talk about creating internal mobility programs that actually work in the life sciences environment. Because the best talent strategy isn't just about who you can recruit. It's about who you can keep and how far they can grow with you.

Contact Jeba Jackson at PNJ Global to discuss how we can help you build internal mobility programs that retain your top talent and reduce your external recruitment needs.