India healthcare, pharma sectors to create 2-2.5 million jobs by 2030, says consultancy Adecco

India’s healthcare and pharmaceutical sector is expected to create over 2 – 2.5 million new jobs by 2030, with nearly 30–35% of the workforce likely to undergo reskilling, reflecting a shift in how roles are defined across care delivery, research, and manufacturing says a analysis done by job consultancy firm Adecco India.

The sector is entering a more capability-led phase of growth, with hiring increasingly aligned to specialisation, regulatory depth, and technology integration rather than volume expansion alone, it said. According to Adecco, this shift is reflected across a broad healthcare ecosystem spanning hospitals (allopathy and AYUSH), home and elder care, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, diagnostics, telemedicine, clinical research, and public health systems. 

Employers facing a dual challenge

“Hiring demand today is strongest at the intersection of clinical care scale-up, biologics-led pharma innovation, and digital health transformation, with a clear shift towards specialised, tech-enabled, and compliance-driven roles rather than traditional volume hiring. Employers are also facing a dual challenge of volume shortages in core healthcare roles and capability gaps in specialised talent, making skill development, retention, and geographic distribution a critical workforce priority. While 65-70% of hiring remains concentrated across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi-NCR, there is a gradual increase in hiring activity across Tier II and III locations such as Pune, Ahmedabad & Coimbatore, supported by expansion in hospital networks, manufacturing clusters, and distributed delivery models”, said Peush Saproo, Associate Director and Head of Sales – Permanent Recruitment, Adecco India.

The growth is closely linked to the sector’s expanding economic footprint as healthcare spending, which stood at 3.3% of GDP in 2022, is projected to near 5% by 2030, supported by clinical research activity, digital health adoption, and continued global outsourcing of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.

According to Adecco, diagnostics, preventive healthcare, and telemedicine are also expected to drive an estimated 20-25% increase in demand for distributed and remote care roles, particularly across Tier II and III markets. Hiring for advanced R&D and regulatory roles is expected to increase by 25-30%, aligned with a shift towards complex generics, specialty therapies, and biologics.

“Over the next 5-7 years, hiring in healthcare and pharma will be shaped by India’s emergence as a global talent supplier, with an estimated 25-30% increase in overseas demand for healthcare professionals across key markets such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the UK, and other developed regions, creating additional employment pathways for Indian doctors, nurses, and allied health workers. This is also reflected in the changing mix of roles, with 30-40% of demand concentrated in clinical data, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory functions, particularly within CROs and CDMOs. As this shift accelerates, demand for hybrid, tech-enabled roles combining clinical and digital capabilities will continue to rise, prompting organisations to adopt more strategic workforce planning with a stronger focus on capability building, retention, and accessing talent beyond traditional metro hubs,” Saproo said.