If you’ve been watching the specialty chemicals space, you already know that CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers) is one of the most active and demanding talent markets in the industry right now. From our vantage point, specifically being asked to help with sales and R&D opportunities, the demand signal is clear: companies need skilled CASE talent, and they need it fast. The challenge is that the talent pool simply isn’t keeping pace.

A Market in Sustained Growth Mode

The fundamentals driving CASE hiring are hard to argue with. The global CASE market was valued at over $207 billion and is projected to reach nearly $278 billion by 2030. The adhesives and sealants segment alone is on track to exceed $80 billion by the end of the decade, growing at a 5% CAGR. Paints and coatings are expected to climb from $205 billion in 2025 to nearly $250 billion by 2030.

What’s fueling this? A convergence of powerful end-market tailwinds:

  • Construction continues to drive demand for high-performance sealants, coatings, and bonding systems in commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects.
  • Electric vehicles are creating entirely new requirements for lightweight adhesives, thermal management coatings, and elastomeric sealing solutions.
  • Packaging, especially flexible packaging, is pushing demand for advanced, sustainable adhesives.
  • Electronics and renewable energy (think solar panel installation and component bonding) are opening new application frontiers.
  • Sustainability mandates are accelerating the shift to bio-based adhesives, low-VOC coatings, and circular-economy-compatible formulations.

Companies in each of these spaces are investing heavily in new product development, line extensions, and technical sales support, which means they are actively looking to hire.

The Talent Gap Is Real

Here’s where the story gets complicated. CASE is, in many respects, a mature, aging industry, and its workforce reflects that. A significant portion of the experienced CASE professional community is closer to retirement than not, and there isn’t enough talent coming up behind them to fill the void. Chemistry and chemical engineering programs haven’t produced graduates at a rate that keeps pace with those exits, and the cohorts that would normally occupy that mid-career sweet spot are undersized. CASE also hasn’t benefited from the recruiting halo that draws early career talent toward biotech, semiconductors, or renewable energy, despite the work being just as technically demanding.

The result is a structural gap. Companies almost universally want candidates with five to ten years of direct CASE experience; people who understand the chemistry, know the applications, and can step into the role with a short runway. What they are not looking for, in most cases, is a strong specialty chemicals professional who would have a small learning curve joining their CASE team. The business need is too immediate to train on a learning curve that can be too steep. They want someone who has lived in the space: who knows how a waterborne coating behaves differently than a solvent-borne system, who has sold into automotive OEMs or construction accounts before, who can have a credible technical conversation with a customer on day one.

That candidate, five to ten years in, with a direct CASE background and commercially or technically proven, is among the most competed-for profiles in the industry right now. There aren’t many of them; they’re almost always employed, making them passive candidates, and when they do become available, they move quickly. Companies that treat this search like a standard open requisition often find themselves frustrated. The pool is real, but it’s small, and finding the right person in it requires knowing where to look.

What We’re Seeing on the Ground

With an uptick in requests for CASE commercial and R&D talent, a few themes have become consistent:

Sales roles are taking longer to fill. The ideal CASE sales candidate, someone with a technical background, established relationships in a specific end market, and the ability to navigate complex, consultative sales cycles, is in very short supply. Companies that post and wait are often disappointed. The best candidates aren’t applying; they have to be found.

R&D demand is shifting toward application development. Pure synthesis roles still exist, but much of the R&D hiring we’re seeing is focused on application chemists and formulators who can sit between the lab and the customer. People who understand how a product performs in the field, not just how it was designed in the lab.

Hybrid technical-commercial profiles are at a premium. Candidates who can do both, understand the chemistry and carry a bag, are among the hardest to find and the fastest to get offers when they become available.

What This Means for Employers

If you’re hiring in CASE right now, a few things are worth keeping in mind.

The timeline you’re used to may not apply. Qualified CASE candidates, particularly those with 5–15 years of relevant experience, are not sitting in active job searches. Recruiting them requires a proactive, relationship-driven approach, not a job board strategy.

Compensation expectations have moved. The market is pricing senior CASE commercial and technical talent accordingly. Offers that would have been competitive two years ago may fall short today. Getting current salary benchmarking data before you start a search will save you time and avoid losing candidates.

Speed matters more than ever. When strong candidates do enter the market, they don’t stay available long. A drawn-out interview process is one of the most common reasons companies lose the candidates they want.

Our Perspective

The CASE market is growing, and the companies that invest in building strong technical and commercial teams now will be better positioned to capture that growth. Recruiting in this space requires an understanding of the market, the roles, and where the talent actually lives, which isn’t always where you’d expect.

Are you looking for top talent in the Specialty Chemical, Advanced Materials, or Animal Health industry?

Contact us to discuss how we can bring top leadership talent to your team. Boaz Partners is a premier executive search firm focused on the direct recruitment of executives and professionals for specialty chemicals, advanced materials, and animal health spaces. We are your partner, and our focus is on custom recruiting solutions. Follow the link to learn more about how our specialty chemical recruiters can help you.

References

  1. Markets and Data — Coatings, Adhesives & Sealants, and Elastomers (C.A.S.E.) Market Assessment https://www.marketsandata.com/industry-reports/coatings-adhesives-sealants-and-elastomers-market
  2. MarketsandMarkets — Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants and Elastomers Market Research https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/adhesives-sealents-lubricants-market-research-59.html
  3. EIN Presswire — Adhesives and Sealants Market Growth Driven by Demand Across Diverse Industries https://www.einpresswire.com/article/777456924/adhesives-and-sealants-market-growth-driven-by-demand-across-diverse-industries-scope-by-2025
  4. Talent Traction — Chemical Industry Hiring Challenges in 2026: What Employers Need to Know https://www.talenttraction.org/chemical-industry-hiring-challenges-2026/
  5. NPAworldwide — Chemical Industry Hiring in 2025: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities https://npaworldwide.com/blog/2025/04/04/chemical-industry-hiring-in-2025-trends-challenges-and-opportunities/
  6. Witan Search — Chemical Sector Recruitment 2026: Hiring Trends, Salaries and Skills https://witansearch.com/chemical-sector-recruitment-2026/
  7. SRG Talent — Understanding Recruitment in the Chemical Industry: Trends, Skills & Challenges https://www.srgtalent.com/blog/recruitment-in-the-chemicals-industry-trends-skills-challenges
  8. Merritt Recruitment — 2026 Recruitment Reset: Key Hiring Trends for Chemicals, Life Sciences, Polymers, Coatings & Personal Care https://www.merrittrecruitment.com/blog/2025/12/2026-recruitment-reset-key-hiring-trends-for-chemicals-life-sciences-polymers-coatings-and-personal-care
  9. Ascent Chemical Solutions — Chemical Solutions for CASE Applications: Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers https://ascentchem.com/market-insights/chemical-solutions-case-applications-coatings-adhesives-sealants-elastomers/