Pharma industry adapting to a challenging labour market

Laura Thomas

Recruitment has been a challenge for many industries in recent years, not least the pharmaceutical one where a shortage of key scientific and medical skills has been keenly felt. Adapting to this reality has not come easy for many in our industry which, understandably, has a culture of acting only after considerable and thorough research and consideration. That said, at Pharmacare Premium we have implemented several policies that have helped us to successfully navigate this challenging labour market and are confident we now have the human resource structures in place to ensure the continued growth of our business.

A key principle guiding our approach is that quality depends on diversity. Even though our business is driven by scientific research, different cultural, academic and professional backgrounds do bring with them a multitude of different viewpoints. This diversity is incredibly valuable when it comes to developing and testing new ideas. The challenge, of course, is to harness that diversity positively and effectively. While empowering all our employees to share ideas and knowledge is important, it is not enough to guarantee success.

Arriving at where we are now, after more than a decade of running our EU-GMP-approved modern facility in Ħal Far, Pharmacare has proactively invested time and resources into increasing the expertise and professional knowledge of our workforce. Today, our state-of-the-art infrastructure and high-end equipment are coupled by an engaged labour pool supported by a dedicated managerial team empowering collaborative decision-making. This unique combination allows us to research, develop and “stock and pile” generic, high-potency products. Our European Medicines Authority (EMA) approved plant is suitable for the high-potency “contained production” of value-added, therapeutic products, of which we have a reliable supply to not only markets in the European Union but also internationally.

As we strive to reach optimum performance in our scientific medical work, which has a direct and long-lasting impact on the health and well-being of our communities, we recognise the need to support our employees on both professional and personal levels to ensure that our people fulfill their career potential. As communication is crucial in any job, especially in an inclusive and diverse environment, Pharmacare Premium provides our staff with business language courses to ensure that all our employees can fully participate in the exchange of information.

Additionally, where available, we provide access to specialised, appropriate training to ensure that our experts’ knowledge is up-to-date in order to meet swiftly-changing market requirements. Nevertheless, as a healthy work-life balance is a prerequisite for professional and personal satisfaction, we have organised regular team-building and social events to assist our employees integrate with the communities and cultures that surround them.

As the world of work changes rapidly, it is safe to say that the importance of lifelong learning will only increase. To help all our employees from recent graduates to experienced senior managers, Pharmacare Premium has been establishing synergies with educational institutions, both vocational schools and universities, to support teachers and lecturers with educating the experts of the future. In the framework of such arrangements, we also welcome students to our company for internships to provide them with the hands-on experience that helps them deepen their knowledge.

These concerted efforts give Pharmacare Premium Malta the momentum to become a quality centre of excellence for the Pharmacare family of companies, paving the way for us to join the leading pharmaceutical companies in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. As we rigorously commit ourselves to our core values in our daily work, we keep to quality policies and systems, which helps us maintain ourselves as a reliable, specialised supplier of high-quality, niche generic pharmaceuticals for human consumption. 

Laura Thomas is Human Resources lead at Pharmacare Premium