The EU MDR regulatory talent shortage is getting worse — here's what to do about it
Three years into the MDR transition, the gap between demand for experienced regulatory professionals and available supply has widened, not closed. What the data shows, and what companies are doing to compete.
Photo by Louis Reed on Unsplash In 2021, when EU MDR came into force, most medical device companies assumed the regulatory talent crunch was a transition problem — painful but temporary. By 2023 it was clear it wasn't. By 2026 it's a structural feature of the medtech labour market that shows no signs of resolving on its own.
We place regulatory affairs professionals into medical device companies every week. The data from those placements — time-to-fill, offer acceptance rates, counter-offer rates, candidate drop-out rates — paints a consistent picture.
What the data shows
Time-to-fill for EU MDR regulatory roles has risen from an average of 47 days in 2021 to 68 days in 2025. That's not because companies are being more selective — it's because the pool of qualified candidates is smaller relative to the number of open roles.
Counter-offer rates for experienced regulatory professionals (5+ years, Class IIb/III device experience) are running at 38% — meaning more than one in three candidates who receive an offer from us are counter-offered by their current employer before they can accept. The historical rate for this seniority band across all sectors was around 18%.
Offer acceptance rates have fallen. Candidates are receiving multiple offers and making more deliberate choices.
What this means in practice
If you're hiring a Regulatory Affairs Manager or Senior RA Specialist with MDR technical documentation experience, you are competing with every other medtech company in the UK and Europe that is also trying to hire that person. The best candidates are typically already in active conversations with two or three other organisations when you speak to them.
What companies are doing to compete
Moving faster. The companies making the most hires are the ones that have shortened their hiring process. First conversation to offer in under 14 working days is achievable and noticeably better than the 28-day average. Candidates in multiple processes choose the company that moves with conviction.
Paying at the top of the band. The companies trying to hire at the 50th percentile on salary are losing candidates to the ones hiring at the 75th–80th percentile. The premium for the candidate's next employer is typically 15–20% above their current salary. Offers at or below that level see significantly higher decline rates.
Considering contract. For urgent MDR technical documentation work, day-rate contractors with MDR experience are available more quickly and at rates that — when benchmarked against the true cost of a delayed submission — are often cheaper than they first appear.
Investing in training pipelines. A handful of larger medtech companies are now building in-house MDR training programmes, hiring regulatory professionals with IVD or pharma backgrounds and training the device-specific elements. This is a medium-term strategy, not a short-term fix.
What we tell clients
If you're hiring regulatory in this market, the brief needs to be as sharp as possible, the process as fast as you can make it, and the compensation at or above the market rate. We'll tell you what the market rate is — we track it from our placement data and update it quarterly.
Get in touch if you'd like to discuss your regulatory hiring.