Mass. sees jump in biotech jobs

Massachusetts biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry employment reached an all-time high of 46,553 in 2009, industry trade group MassBio reveals in a new report. The group also reports that employment in the biopharma industry grew 19.7 percent between 2005 and 2009, while overall state employment grew by five percent. "Despite the difficult economy, we continue to be the top choice for biotech and pharmaceutical companies looking to discover the latest cures and therapies, and the top...

Mass. approves $1B biotech project

Massachusetts officials have green-lighted a $1 billion, five-building biotech center near Kendall Square in Cambridge. Binney Street Project, as it is known, will boast about 1.72 million square feet of office/laboratory space and other mixed uses. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, which is overseeing the project, said that all five facilities will be LEED certifiable, and Alexandria will preserve historic buildings already present on the 11.3-acre site. The new labs will be located...

Mass. biotech recruiters filling hundreds of positions

Several big biotech outfits in Massachusetts have hundreds of new positions to fill. Quite a few of these jobs are relatively low-level positions for manufacturing ops, but top jobs aren't always filled so quickly. "We have way too many applicants for entry-level jobs, but few candidates for regulatory affairs positions, and we have seven open," Jodi Allen, Shire's head of global recruitment, tells MassHighTech. Genzyme has 608 positions to fill while Shire is hiring 180 more new...