2011 Pharmacy wages down
December 22, 2011
THE average pharmacist earned
$34.38 per hour this year, a 9.3%
reduction on last year’s average
rate of $37.92, according to the
latest APESMA survey.
Gauging the responses of 1,500
Australian pharmacists, the survey
also found that 21.9% of
community pharmacists have not
had a pay increase since 2008,
whilst 62.5% said that they
regularly work through their lunch
break.
APESMA also discovered that
21.3% of community pharmacists
want to earn more by working
additional hours.
“It is highly concerning that the
average Australian pharmacist is
earning less than they did four
years ago,” said CEO of APESMA,
Chris Walton.
“Given that inflation is rising at
3.5 per cent and the average
Australian wage is going up by 4.9
per cent it is clear that pharmacists
are being left behind,” he added.
Interestingly the survey revealed
that hospital pharmacists tend to
enjoy better wages and conditions
than their community pharmacist
brethren, with 88% telling APESMA
that they had a pay increase in the
last two years.
In addition, nearly half the
amount of hospital pharmacists
(36.3%) regularly work through
their lunch break compared to
community pharmacists.
APESMA attributed the difference
in wage and conditions between
hospital and community pharmacists
to the fact that the former tend to
work in larger organisations “where
it was easier for them to work
together and present a case for
better wages and conditions”.
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