Bioscience Producing Florida Job Opportunities

The biosciences industry has been flourishing nationwide, and as of late has particularly accounted for many Florida jobs.

The biosciences industry includes: medicinal and botanical manufacturing, pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing, in-vitro diagnostic substance and biological product manufacturing, electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus manufacturing, analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing, irradiation apparatus manufacturing and medical equipment and supplies manufacturing.

In 2006, according to the State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, Florida's biosciences industry had 486 establishments and employed 25,058 people, an increase of 520 jobs from 2005. The majority of job gains were found in surgical appliance and supplies manufacturing at 7.1 percent and laboratory apparatus and furniture manufacturing at 18.1 percent. There was a 3.7 percent loss in water transportation.

The largest jobs in the industry in 2006 were surgical and medical instrument manufacturing with 7,738 jobs, surgical appliance and supplies manufacturing with 4,278 jobs and ophthalmic goods manufacturing with 4,001 jobs. These three sectors made up 63.9 percent of all biosciences employment.

As the primary function of the biosciences industry is to manufacture pharmaceutical and medical instruments, the majority of occupations within the industry are production related. The majority of positions are located in the southeast, central and northeast parts of the state. The average wage for a worker in the biosciences industry is $50,891.

The 15 largest bioscience occupations, which comprise only 41 percent of total industry employment, include:

• electrical and electronic equipment assemblers with an average hourly salary of $11.89
• team assemblers with an average hourly salary of $11.21
• inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers with an average hourly salary of $15.73
• ophthalmic laboratory technicians with an with an average hourly salary of $12.19
• first-line supervisors of production and operating workers with an average hourly salary of $24.81
• electrical engineers with an average hourly salary of $36.41
• industrial engineers with an average hourly salary of $30.92
• customer service representatives with an average hourly salary of $13.52
• machinists with an average hourly salary of $16.28
• electromechanical equipment assemblers with an average hourly salary of $12.19
• packaging and filling machine operators and tenders with an average hourly salary of $10.97
• packers and packagers with an average hourly salary of $8.86
• shipping, receiving and traffic clerks with an average hourly salary of $12.37
• structural metal fabricators and fitters with an average hourly salary of $14.77
• general office clerks with an average hourly salary of $11.36

Among these occupations, 10 are expected to add jobs through 2014. Four of the 15 largest occupations have an average hourly wage greater than $16 per hour. Packers and packagers and ophthalmic laboratory technicians are predicted to be two of the fastest growing occupations in the biotechnology industry, with projected annual growth rates of 2.59 percent and 2.17 percent, respectively.