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Apr. 29, 2010 Ag-related companies include (overall ranking): 5. Monsanto 7. Dow AgroSciences 8. Pioneer Hi-Bred 15. Exelixis 16. Amgen 18. Pfizer 24. EMD 26. Eli Lilly 30. Sanofi-Aventis The Scientist magazine reports: Brutal layoffs assaulted the pharmaceutical and biotech industries last year. While the big acquisitions of the year are credited with causing the most dramatic workforce declines-Pfizer and Merck each cut more than 15,000 jobs after acquiring Wyeth and Schering-Plough, respectively-most companies blamed the economy for their losses. But despite such economic hardships, all 10 small companies that topped this year's Best Places to Work in Industry survey and six of the top 10 large companies reported positive growth in their Research & Development workforce. The agricultural biotechs attribute their hires to the "unprecedented demand for agricultural products globally," says Brian Bowman, Global Talent Acquisition Manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred, the plant genetics unit of DuPont, which added 500 people to its R&D staff in 2009 and ranked fourth among large companies in this year's survey. "We're very lucky to be in an industry that is essential," agrees Kenda Resler-Friend, corporate communications leader at Dow AgroSciences, which recorded 250 R&D hires last year and took the No. 3 spot among large companies. Other companies, such as PTC Therapeutics-an RNA targeting therapeutics company and No. 5 among small companies this year-claim that it is the economic downturn itself that allows them to grow. "As other companies are laying people off, we're actually able to pick up a lot of people," says Kurt Andrews, vice president of human resources at PTC. "They're out on the open market right now [so] they're easier and less expensive to find." And with money continuing to come in from various grants and big pharma collaborations, PTC, which increased its R&D staff by more than 20% as of January, is always looking for good talent. But it's not only new growth that scientists are praising. The companies atop this year's lists are noted for their generous-sometimes a bit unusual-benefits and employee perks. Tweet |
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