ANZSCO 2515

Pharmacists

Overview

EMPLOYED

41,700

PART-TIME SHARE

27%

FEMALE SHARE

65%

MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS

$2,071

MEDIAN AGE

36

ANNUAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH

2,300

About this data

Summary

Pharmacists ensure safe and quality use of medicines, and optimise health outcomes by contributing to selecting, prescribing, monitoring and evaluating medicine therapy, and researching, testing and developing pharmaceuticals and medical products.

Tasks

  • Receiving prescriptions, checking patients' medicine histories, and ensuring optimal dosage and methods of administration and drug compatibility before dispensing
  • Preparing or supervising the preparation and labelling of liquid medicines, ointments, powders, tablets and other medications to fill prescriptions
  • Advising prescribers on drug incompatibility and contra-indications
  • Reviewing and monitoring the medicine therapy of individual patients, and assessing the effectiveness of the total medicine therapy
  • Maintaining prescription files and recording issue of narcotics, poisons and habit-forming drugs
  • Storing and preserving vaccines, serums and other drugs subject to deterioration
  • Supplying non-prescription medicines, and diagnostic and therapeutic aids
  • Supervising and coordinating the work of Pharmacy Technicians, pharmacy interns and Pharmacy Sales Assistants
  • Conducting research to develop and improve pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and related chemical products
  • Conferring with Chemists, Engineering Professionals and other professionals about manufacturing techniques and ingredients
  • Testing and analysing drugs to determine their identity, purity and strength in relation to specified standards
  • Developing standards for drugs used in pharmaceuticals

ANZSCO Classification

Details

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    Earnings and Hours

    Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)
    Source: Share of workers who work full-time hours: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Average full-time hours worked per week: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Median full-time earnings per week and Median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2023, customised report.
    Note: median earnings data have not been produced for some occupations where there is a high standard error, and are published with "N/A" values.
    Earnings and Hours Pharmacists All Occupations
    Share of workers who work full-time hours 73% 70%
    Average full-time hours worked per week 42 hours 44 hours
    Median full-time earnings per week $2,071 $1,697
    Median hourly earnings $55 $43

    Industries

    Pharmacists work in industries like:

    Source: Ranked using ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average data, custom report.
    Note: industries that comprise less than 5% of an occupation have been suppressed.

    States and territories

    New South Wales

    29.5%

    Victoria

    31.5%

    Queensland

    20.6%

    South Australia

    5.8%

    Tasmania

    1.8%

    Northern Territory

    1.1%

    Australian Capital Territory

    1.3%

    Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, Detailed, August 2024, Jobs and Skills Australia trend data.

    Age and gender

    Age and Gender Profile
    Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Age and Gender Pharmacists All Occupations
    Median age 36 years 39 years
    Female share of employment 65% 48%
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Age Profile (% Share) All Occupations Pharmacists
    15–19 5.2 1.0
    20–24 9.1 8.2
    25–34 22.7 36.7
    35–44 22.3 28.1
    45–54 20.4 13.9
    55–59 8.8 4.7
    60–64 6.5 3.8
    65 and Over 4.9 3.5

    Education

    Registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia is required.

    Visit

    • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
    • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Highest Level of Educational Attainment (% Share) All Occupations Pharmacists
    Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 12.2 23.0
    Bachelor degree 23.2 69.8
    Advanced Diploma/Diploma 11.1 0.6
    Certificate III/IV 19.5 0.8
    Year 12 15.9 3.5
    Year 11 4.0 0.2
    Year 10 and below 9.7 0.4
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      Occupation profiles data

      This file contains data displayed on the Occupation Profile pages.

      Use of data in this file must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      Occupation profiles data - November 2024.xlsx

      occupation_profiles_data_-_november_2024.xlsx946664

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      Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations

      Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) is the skill-based classification system used to categorise occupations in the Australian and New Zealand labour markets. ANZSCO provides a basis for the standardised collection, analysis and dissemination of occupation data. Visit the ABS website to learn how ANZSCO works. Jobs and Skills Australia displays data for occupations that are defined by ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.3.