Mentions of the future of work within the filings of companies in the pharmaceutical industry fell 36% between the third and fourth quarters of 2021.

In total, the frequency of sentences related to the future of work during 2021 was 382% higher than in 2016 when GlobalData, from whom our data for this article is taken, first began to track the key issues referred to in company filings.

When pharmaceutical companies publish annual and quarterly reports, ESG reports and other filings, GlobalData analyses the text and identifies individual sentences that relate to disruptive forces facing companies in the coming years. The future of work is one of these topics - companies that excel and invest in these areas are thought to be better prepared for the future business landscape and better equipped to survive unforeseen challenges.

To assess whether the future of work is featuring more in the summaries and strategies of pharmaceutical companies, two measures were calculated. Firstly, we looked at the percentage of companies which have mentioned the future of work at least once in filings during the past twelve months - this was 54% compared to 15% in 2016. Secondly, we calculated the percentage of total analysed sentences that referred to the future of work.

Of the 10 biggest employers in the pharmaceutical industry, Novartis was the company which referred to the future of work the most during 2021. GlobalData identified 12 future of work-related sentences in the Switzerland-based company's filings - 0.07% of all sentences. Roche mentioned the future of work the second most - the issue was also referred to in 0.07% of sentences in the company's filings. Other top employers with high future of work mentions included Thermo Fisher, J&J and Bayer.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Across all pharmaceutical companies the filing published in the fourth quarter of 2021 which exhibited the greatest focus on the future of work came from Twist Bioscience. Of the document's 1,308 sentences, seven (0.5%) referred to the future of work.

This analysis provides an approximate indication of which companies are focusing on the future of work and how important the issue is considered within the pharmaceutical industry, but it also has limitations and should be interpreted carefully. For example, a company mentioning the future of work more regularly is not necessarily proof that they are utilising new techniques or prioritising the issue, nor does it indicate whether the company's ventures into the future of work have been successes or failures.

GlobalData also categorises the future of work mentions by a series of subthemes. Of these subthemes, the most commonly referred to topic in the fourth quarter of 2021 was 'workflow management', which made up 92% of all future of work subtheme mentions by pharmaceutical companies.