Chemistry and biology degrees are still popular with recruiters, but they are much more salable when joined with industrial or academic research experience. One hot degree is the BS or MS specifically in biotechnology. Johns Hopkins University has a popular MS program in biotech, as do schools such as the University of Maryland and the University of California at San Diego. The move toward development has made a new range of scientists interesting to biotech companies. People with experience in clinical research and animal testing are very attractive.
Pharmacologists are another group more in demand.
Biochemists with experience in bioprocessing are paid very well and are frustratingly rare. We've just added a bioprocessing center, and we need experienced biochemists. They're getting harder and harder to find, either because not enough people are going into the field or because they get snapped up as soon as they hit the market. Undergraduates fresh from chemistry or biology BSs traditionally have started their science careers as RAs. They will always be needed.