15
The average contract length in Pharma is 15 Months
Sector Overviews
Pharma, Life Sciences & Medical Device
“Independent contractors in the pharmaceutical industry tend to have better skill sets as a result of working with more companies, vs an employee who is used to a particular set of standards when working in one company for a long time.”
Quote from Respondent
Ireland is recognised as a powerhouse for pharmaceutical, medical devices, and life science sectors.
The sector accounts for more than 60% of the country’s exports and ranks Ireland as the world’s third-largest exporter in this sector. (IDA Ireland).
Ireland is home to nine of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies and the sector employs 40,000 people. With several major companies announcing plans to hire at scale in 2025 (Irish Independent). Roles such as production operators, regulatory compliance, project engineers and development scientists are experiencing increased demand (Hays).
The industry’s dynamic and ever-changing landscape makes it a prime sector for professional contractors, their expertise and skills allow companies to upscale and engage new skills at short notice keeping companies agile, innovative and setting them up for growth.
Pharma
Pharma Contractors Are Highly Satisfied With Their Career Success!
Average Contract Length
The average length of contract in the Pharma sector is just over a year long at 15 months!
Average Daily Rate in Pharma
€486
Pharma Gender Split
73
Men
25
Women
0
Undisclosed
Men
Women
Undisclosed
0
20
40
60
80
100
Medical Device
Ireland is the second-largest exporter of medical devices in Europe and a top 10 exporter globally (Enterprise Ireland). The Medical Device sector generates over €12.6 billion in annual exports and employs over 50,000 people (Meet In Ireland).
With increasing developments in technology and the use of AI, the medical device sector is changing with focus shifting to new trends such as, digital health, telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, advanced therapies and sustainability (Medical Devices).
Medical Device
Med Device Contractors Are Getting Younger
Contracting In The Medical Device Sector
The flexibility and scalability of contracting has been an invaluable asset for this fast-paced sector. New opportunities exist for contractors in the sector, especially for those with specialised skills in software development, clinical trials, and regulatory affairs (Mason Alexander).
Average Daily Rate in Med Device
€397
Med Device Gender Split
75
Men
25
Women
0
Undisclosed
Men
Women
Undisclosed
0
20
40
60
80
100
Life Science
Ireland encompasses over 300 MedTech companies, contributing more than €13 billion annually to Ireland’s exports, accounting for 8% of the nation’s total exports (IDA Ireland). Ireland is a leader in the life sciences industry with 19 of the top 20 global pharma companies and 18 of the top 20 global medical device companies present in Ireland (NSF).
Regions like Cork and Galway have become key centres for these industries, cultivating a dynamic environment of innovation and collaboration. These developments highlight Ireland’s pivotal role in the global life sciences landscape, with the sector projected to reach €730 billion by 2025 (Oxford Global Resources).
Life Sciences
Life Science Contractors Are Getting Younger
Recent Trends in Life Science
Recent trends for this sector indicate an increase in research and development investments, with companies focusing on innovative advanced technologies such as AI and data analytics to provide a competitive edge.
Average Daily Rate in Med Device
€529
Med Device Gender Split
75
Men
25
Women
0
Undisclosed
Men
Women
Undisclosed
0
20
40
60
80
100
Average Contract Lengths
13
The average contract length in Medical Device is 13 Months
15
The average contract length in Life Science is 15 Months
The average length of contract in the pharma sector is 15 months, down from 17 months in 2024.
Pharma
Male contractors in the pharma sector make up 73%, with female contractors at 26%. This reflects a 3% drop in female contractors in the sector over the last year.
Additional Information
The average contract length in life science sector is 15 months in 2025 up from 14 months in 2024
Life Science
Male contractors account for 75% of all contractors in the life science sector.
The life science sector has the highest percentage of older contractors with 15% 60 years or older.
The average daily rate for life science has seen a drop in 2025 to €529 from €581 in 2024. This reflects a 9% drop-in average daily rate in the life science sector.
Additional Information
The average contract length in med device sector is 13 months up from 12 months in 2024.
Medical Device
The med device sector has seen a significant rise in the percentage of female contractors from 2024 to 2025 up 11% from 14% in 2024 to 25% in 2025. The med device sector has the highest percentage of younger contractors with 23% 29 years or below.
The average daily rate in the med device sector has seen a drop in 2025 from €498 in 2024 to €397 in 2025. This significant drop of 20% in the medical device sector can be explained by the changes in the make-up of that sector. There has been a 11% increase in the number of female contractors engaged in the sector and a 6% increase in the number of contractors under 30 years.
Additional Information
Pharma, Life Sciences & Med Device Education
100% of those contracting in the pharma sector have achieved level 6 or higher on the National Framework of Qualifications. 81% have a Bachelor or a Master degree.
Additional Information
Pharma, Life Sciences & Med Device Sector
96% of Pharma, Life Sciences & Med Device contractors work in the private sector. This has increased by 5% since 2024.
Additional Information
Pharma, Life Sciences & Med Device Daily Rates
The average daily rates in pharma, life science and med device sectors have all seen a drop in 2025. Pharma’s average daily rate in 2024 was €496, the average daily rate in 2025 is €486. Med device has dropped from €498 in 2024 to €397 in 2025, and the average daily rate in the life science sector has dropped from €581 in 2024 to €529 in 2025.
This reflects a drop of 2% in the average daily rate for the pharma sector, a significant drop of 20% in the medical device sector, and a 9% drop in the average daily rate for the life science sector.
While the average daily rate has dropped in 2025 it should be noted that more than half (51%) of respondents across the three sectors had average daily rates between €300 and €499 in 2025, whereas in 2024 42% of respondents had an average daily rate between €300 and €499.
Additional Information
How Pharma, Life Science & Med Device Contractors Feel About Their Work
86% of contractors working in the pharma sector reported being satisfied with the success they have achieved in their career to date. 85% were satisfied with their life in general.
Contractors were asked about their level of satisfaction with key elements of their working lives. Pharma contractors are more satisfied in 2025 with most factors of their working life in 2025 compared to 2024. 66% expressed satisfaction with remote working options in 2025, down from 73% in 2024. Pharma contractors’ report high satisfaction levels across the other factors such as the flexibility of hours 83%, location of job 83%, rate of pay 84%, and work-life balance 72%.
Additional Information
The Future and Finding Work
Unsurprisingly 87% of pharma contractors believe their skills are both useful and transferable. 79% agree they have sufficient autonomy to carry out their role and 69% agree they are learning by working on their current project. Pharma contractors are feeling optimistic about the availability of contract roles in the future with more than half of the respondents (54%) expecting the availability of contract roles to increase in the next 12 months.
This indicates a high level of confidence in the belief of the stability of the pharma sector by those involved in it. While 84% of Pharma contractors expressed satisfaction with their current rate of pay, 51% expect their rate of pay to increase in the next 12 months. Pharma contractors are also optimistic about the Irish economy with 48% expecting the economy to perform better this year than in 2024.
Additional Information
Confidence Index
Confidence in the contracting sector in the next 3 to 5 years differs depending on the discipline the contractors are involved in. It is, in the main, very positive. Pharma contractors have a confidence index score of +23. Life Science sector has a confidence index score of +28. Medical device sector has the highest confidence index score of +33.
It’s fair to say that contractors are confident that the contracting sector in the next 3 -5 years will be in a strong position. Contractors are also optimistic in their outlook on the performance of the Irish economy. Again the Medical Device sector has the highest confidence index score in the performance of the Irish economy, with a score of +21, they are a lot more optimistic about the Irish economy in 2025 compared to 2024 when the reported confidence index score was just +9. The outlook of pharma and life science contractors is also positive with scores of +18 and +20 respectively.
The Irish Economy This Year
Confidence Index
| PHARMA | MED DEVICE | LIFE SCIENCES | |
| 2025 | +18 | +21 | +20 |
| 2024 | +17 | +9 | +24 |
| 2023 | +21 | -5 | +13 |
| 2022 | +36 | +28 | +41 |
| 2021 | +7 | +11 | +8 |
The Contracting Sector In The Next 3 to 5 Years
Confidence Index
| PHARMA | MED DEVICE | LIFE SCIENCES | |
| 2025 | +23 | +33 | +28 |
| 2024 | +28 | +31 | +32 |
| 2023 | +30 | +27 | +40 |
| 2022 | +34 | +34 | +38 |
| 2021 | +28 | +43 | +21 |