Chemicals Hiring Challenges & Solutions

Key Challenges for the Chemicals Industry – and Practical Hiring Solutions to Accelerate Portfolio Diversification

The chemicals industry is at an inflection point. Companies are shifting R&D and commercial focus away from legacy product lines toward sustainable, specialty and circular-economy solutions – but many are finding the people-side of that transition the hardest piece to solve. Talent shortages, unclear role profiles for new business models, and a lack of in-house knowledge to judge candidate fit are combining to slow diversification programmes. The good news: targeted hiring approaches – rooted in evidence, case studies and sector-wide skills mapping – can dramatically improve outcomes.

The hiring reality: what the data says

• The European chemicals sector remains substantial (over 1.2 million workers and hundreds of billions in turnover), yet it is under competitive pressure and needs new capabilities to stay globally relevant.
• Industry returns and competitive performance have softened, creating urgency to rethink value creation – including the people and skills companies recruit.
• Employers across sectors expect major skill disruptions: the World Economic Forum reports that employers expect around 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030 – a reminder that hiring for future-fit skills is essential.
• Broader labour-market signals (for example, manufacturing vacancy data used by analysts and banks) show persistent hard-to-fill roles – meaning competition for technical and commercial talent is real.

These points underline a straightforward problem: the talent pool that knows both traditional chemistry and future-facing business models (e.g., circularity, advanced materials, digital-enabled chemistries) is limited. When internal teams don’t have the depth to assess candidates for newly defined roles, hiring errors multiply.

Key challenges hiring teams face

1. Unclear role definitions for new portfolios. Legacy job descriptions don’t capture skills required for sustainable product development, digitalised processes, or new commercial models.
2. Lack of in-house assessment capability. Technical teams often lack hiring experience outside traditional chemistry disciplines, making it harder to validate cross-disciplinary candidates.
3. Short supply of hybrid talent. Professionals who combine process chemistry, product management, regulatory knowledge and commercial acumen are rare.
4. Slow hiring decisions. Without concrete evidence that a candidate can drive the new portfolio, decision-makers delay hires – which costs time and market advantage.

Practical solutions that work – evidence-based and actionable

1. Build hiring profiles from case studies, not just job descriptions

Use real project case studies to define the success profile. For example, map the skills and behaviours that enabled a past product pivot (technical know-how, supplier network, regulatory navigation, commercial launch experience) and translate them into must-have and nice-to-have hiring criteria. Mirroring successful hires reduces subjectivity and aligns interviewers on outcomes – not just CVs.

2. Expand assessments to include sector knowledge and transferable skill tests

Create short, practical assessments (workshop-style case tasks, brief technical problems, or go-to-market plans) that reflect the exact portfolio tasks the hire will perform in months 1–12. These reveal ability to apply knowledge, not just credentials.

3. Use cross-functional interview panels and external validators

When internal expertise is limited, include external technical advisors or partners (e.g., university collaborators, industry consortia experts) to validate technical depth. This reduces false negatives for candidates from adjacent fields (materials, polymer science, biotech) who can accelerate diversification.

4. Prioritise “broad sector skill mapping”

Map clusters of related skills (process engineering, regulatory pathways, lifecycle assessment, digital analytics) and hunt for candidates with two or more cluster competencies. The World Economic Forum’s skills forecasts suggest future roles will require hybrid capability – hiring for intersecting skills is therefore forward-looking.

5. Document and promote impact via internal case studies

Once a hire contributes to a portfolio pivot, document measurable outcomes (time-to-market reduction, margin improvement, new customer segments) and use those case studies in subsequent hiring cycles. Proven internal results create a self-reinforcing hiring narrative.

Leveraging a Specialist STEM Recruiter – The Skills Alliance Advantage

For chemicals companies struggling to fill these complex roles, partnering with a specialist STEM recruiter like Skills Alliance can be transformative. Here’s why:

• Deep sector expertise: Skills Alliance has extensive experience across chemical sectors, giving access to a network of candidates with both technical and commercial expertise.
• Proven success mapping skills to roles: By understanding the nuances of hybrid roles – such as regulatory knowledge combined with commercial insight – Skills Alliance can match candidates more accurately than generic recruiters.
• Faster hiring decisions: Leveraging their databases, pre-vetted candidate pools, and structured assessment methods, Skills Alliance accelerates the hiring process while reducing risk.
• Evidence-based approach: Using client case studies, Skills Alliance can demonstrate tangible outcomes from previous placements, helping hiring teams feel confident about candidates.
• Future-proofing talent: Specialist recruiters stay ahead of sector trends, ensuring your hires have skills aligned with emerging markets, sustainability goals, and digitalisation.

Partnering with a specialist recruiter doesn’t just fill a vacancy – it builds a capability pipeline that enables chemicals companies to pivot portfolios confidently and stay competitive in evolving markets.

Final Thoughts

Portfolio diversification in chemicals is as much a people challenge as it is a technical one. By switching from CV-driven hiring to case-study-driven profiles, supplementing interviews with practical assessments and external validators, mapping hiring to cross-cutting sector skills, and leveraging a specialist STEM recruiter like Skills Alliance, organisations can close the gap between current and required capabilities. Companies that systematise these hiring practices will move from reactive recruitment to strategic capability building – securing a clear advantage in the next wave of chemical innovation.

By Joe Malik, Principal Consultant, Skills Alliance