The MedTech Retention Gap

Why Retention Matters More Than Recruitment in MedTech

Everyone loves a hiring announcement. New titles, new funding, another post with a smiling headshot. But the real sign of a healthy company isn’t how fast you can hire. It’s how many people still want to be there a year later. 

Recruitment gets all the attention because it’s visible. Retention happens quietly, until it doesn’t. One resignation mid-submission or mid-build can derail a launch, knock confidence with investors, and drain momentum overnight. 

The Cost of Losing MedTech Talent

Most startups act like they can recruit their way out of turnover. They can’t. Every time someone leaves, you don’t just lose skill, you lose context, chemistry, and speed. In a ten-person team, one exit can stop everything. 

Replacing senior MedTech talent takes time and money. Research by Deloitte estimates that replacing an experienced employee typically costs six to nine months of that person’s salary, and in highly specialised industries such as medical devices, it can be even higher. 

The global MedTech workforce now exceeds 2.5 million professionals, spread across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific (MedTech Europe, 2024). Yet demand for technical, regulatory, and commercial talent continues to outpace supply. In the United States alone, open roles for engineers and quality specialists rose by more than 20 percent year-on-year in 2024 (MassDevice). 

Turnover is rising worldwide – not because talent is scarce, but because companies underestimate how hard it is to keep it.

What Drives Specialist MedTech Talent to Leave?

It’s rarely about money. Most people don’t quit for another five percent. They leave when they stop feeling heard. They leave when there’s no clarity, no growth, no recognition. 

According to PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2024, 44 percent of employees are actively looking for a new job, with lack of career development cited as the top reason. McKinsey research echoes this: employees stay when they feel valued, trusted, and connected to purpose. 

MedTech professionals, especially those working deep in regulatory, engineering, or clinical roles, care about autonomy and meaning. They want to see their work matter. They want to feel trusted. That’s what keeps them. 

How Founder Behaviour Shapes Retention in MedTech Startups

Culture is how the founder behaves on an ordinary Tuesday. If the CEO answers emails at midnight, the team will too. If leaders never admit doubt, the team hides problems. 

The best founders I’ve seen create space for honesty. They talk about burnout before it happens. They let people question the plan without punishment. Psychological safety sounds fluffy, but in small, high-pressure teams, it’s survival. 

Practical Ways to Keep Regulatory and Engineering Teams Engaged

Five ways to keep people longer:

1. Be clear. Tell people what’s happening and why. Engineers can handle bad news; what they can’t handle is silence. 
2. Invest in learning. Fund certifications, send people to conferences, or let them shadow an investor meeting. Growth is currency when cash is tight. 
3. Trust expertise. Hire smart people and let them make calls. Micromanagement kills loyalty faster than low pay. 
4. Talk often. Weekly check-ins beat annual reviews every time. Ask what’s working before it becomes a resignation letter. 
5. Show a future. Not everyone wants to manage. Build visible paths for technical specialists too. 

Korn Ferry’s 2024 global talent study found that companies with defined development programmes enjoy 34 percent higher employee engagement and dramatically lower turnover. Investing in learning is risk management. 

How Turnover Affects MedTech Product Timelines and Investor Confidence

When someone leaves, the cost isn’t just recruiter fees. It’s the projects that slow down, the knowledge that walks out, and the morale that drops. 

Across every major MedTech hub, from Silicon Valley to Singapore, high churn disrupts timelines, and it damages credibility. Word travels fast in this community. A company known for losing people soon struggles to attract the next wave of talent, regardless of how strong its technology is. 

References

• MedTech Europe (2024). Facts & Figures 2024. 
• Deloitte (2024). Global Life Sciences and Health Care Industry Outlook. 
• PwC (2024). Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey. 
• Korn Ferry (2024). Future of Work Global Talent Study. 
• McKinsey & Company (2024). The State of Organizations Report. 
• MassDevice (2024). MedTech Talent Shortages: The Global Skills Race. 

Disclaimer. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Test Labs Limited. The content provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal or professional advice. Test Labs assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of this article, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon.