One-third of staff working within the life sciences industry are disengaged in their jobs and at risk of leaving in the next 12 months, according to a survey by international staffing agency ProClinical.

Survey participants were asked a series of questions about commitment, caring, trust, recognition and job satisfaction. Employees in the US and those working in medical devices are the most engaged at 69% and 71% respectively, whereas employees in Asia Pacific countries have lower-than-average engagement levels, as do employees at pharmaceutical and contract research organizations.

Although half of workers across the industry, 51%, reported they are not paid fairly, this ranked only fifth in importance for engagement. Instead, employees rated working in a role that is challenging and aligned with their skills as the most motivating, followed by career development opportunities and receiving recognition, respectively.

Staff with internal opportunities for professional growth are four times more likely to stay with their current employer. Overall, only six out of 10 employees see themselves working at the same company in a year's time, with at least 17% having made plans to leave.

“The findings support our own observations that the importance of creating an inclusive company culture, internal opportunities for career growth and regular recognition cannot be underestimated when planning strategies for the attraction and retention of leading life sciences talent,” said ProClinical Global Recruitment Director Richard Thomas.

The survey included 1,122 individuals employed in the life sciences industry from 47 countries in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific. It was conducted in February 2016.