The number of people in the Philadelphia region working in jobs tied to cell and gene therapy has more than doubled in the less than three years, according to an updated life sciences industry workforce report released Wednesday.

The study found in 2022 nearly 10,500 people in the area work at cell and gene therapy companies or at contract manufacturing organizations, biopharma companies, research organizations, or research hospitals in the cell and gene therapy fields.

That employment number represents a 127% increase from the 2020 report, titled “Cell and Gene Therapy and Connected Health Workforce Analysis”, that put the job number at about 4,900.

Both studies were conducted by Philadelphia-based consulting firm Econsult Solutions Inc. for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s CEO Council for Growth and the University City Science Center.

The purpose of the analyses is to evaluate the current employment landscape and to identify future talent needs to boost the region’s standing as a key hub for cell and gene therapy.

The new 34-page report found the number of employees at the region’s more than 40 cell and gene therapy companies has increased to 2,127 in 2022, up from 939 in 2019.

“This report provides us with the data, and the validation, we need to focus on the things that matter — training and education of a diverse workforce to meet the needs, now and into the future, of the cell and gene therapy companies and contract manufacturing organizations that make their home in Greater Philadelphia,” said Saul Behar, general counsel and senior vice president of strategic initiatives for the University City Science Center. “We have an enormous opportunity here to continue building a talent pipeline that reflects inclusive growth and prosperity.”

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