Future Workforce Strategies
Insight trends into future workforce strategies within STEM & Life Sciences
STEM and Life Sciences organisations are navigating rapid technological change, talent scarcity, and evolving workforce models. Over four weeks, industry professionals contributed to LinkedIn polls exploring workforce composition, hiring challenges, AI adoption, and strategic priorities for 2026.
The findings reveal a clear shift toward hybrid workforce models, ongoing challenges in accessing niche skills, early-stage AI adoption, and a strong emphasis on enhancing the employee experience.
Workforce Mix Trends
Organisations are increasingly evaluating how to balance flexibility with stability. When asked which workforce model will have the biggest impact in the next two years, 33% of respondents identified outsourced models (MSP/RPO), while an equal share, 33%, prioritised internal employee mobility. Permanent headcount growth was cited by 22%, and more contractors were considered impactful by only 11% of respondents.
This distribution indicates that organisations are leveraging hybrid models, combining external expertise with internal redeployment and mobility programmes. Rather than relying primarily on contingent workers, companies are aiming to maximise flexibility while maintaining continuity and institutional knowledge.
Critical Hiring Challenges
Talent acquisition remains a pressing challenge for STEM and Life Sciences companies. 38% of respondents reported that accessing niche STEM and AI skills is their toughest hurdle. Retaining top talent and navigating global compliance were each highlighted by 25% of respondents, while competing on salary and benefits was a concern for only 13%.
These results suggest that competitive advantage is increasingly determined by an organisation’s ability to secure scarce skills and retain high performers in a complex regulatory environment, rather than by offering higher salaries alone. Organisations must therefore invest strategically in skills development, retention programmes, and compliance readiness.
Role of AI in Recruitment
AI adoption in recruitment is widespread but narrowly applied. All respondents (100%) indicated they use AI for candidate sourcing and screening, while none reported using AI for predictive analytics, workforce planning, or contractor compliance classification.
This indicates that organisations are embracing AI primarily for operational efficiency in early recruitment stages, with significant untapped potential for AI-driven strategic workforce planning and compliance management. Expanding AI beyond screening will be critical for future workforce competitiveness.
Strategic Priorities for 2026
Looking ahead, workforce strategies are increasingly experienced led. When asked about top priorities for 2026, 67% of respondents prioritised enhancing the employee and contractor experience, while 33% focused on reducing costs. Notably, no respondents cited improving compliance or scaling talent as their primary concern.
This highlights a clear shift in organisational priorities: optimising engagement, wellbeing, and overall workforce experience is now considered more critical than operational or cost-driven metrics. Organisations recognising this trend will be better positioned to retain talent and maintain productivity.
The Emerging Workforce Playbook
The polling data identifies four converging trends in STEM and Life Sciences workforce strategy:
- Hybrid workforce models, combining outsourced partnerships (33%) and internal mobility programmes (33%), are set to dominate.
- Talent scarcity, particularly in STEM/AI skills (38%), alongside retention (25%) and compliance challenges (25%), remains critical.
- AI is widely adopted for candidate sourcing and screening (100%), but strategic uses remain underdeveloped.
- Enhancing employee and contractor experience (67%) is the top priority, surpassing cost reduction (33%) and other operational objectives.
Organisations that integrate agility, technology, and a human-centered approach will be best positioned to thrive in a complex and competitive talent landscape.
