OSCA 2634

Pharmacists

Overview

  • Employed persons

    26,900

  • Employment status

    64.3% Full time

    35.7% Part time

  • Median age

    36 years

  • Employment by sex

    64.6% Female

    35.4% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.3%

  • Main employing industry

    Retail Trade

Indicator Pharmacists Total employment
Employed persons 26,900 12,049,400
Median age 36 years 40 years
Full-time share 64.3% 64.2%
Part-time share 35.7% 35.8%
Female employment share 64.6% 48.5%
Male employment share 35.4% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.3% 2.2%
Main employing industry Retail Trade Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Pharmacists apply in-depth knowledge of medicines and medication management to ensure the safe use of medicines, and optimise health outcomes by contributing to prescribing, dispensing, administering, monitoring and evaluating medicine therapy.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 1
equivalent to a university level qualification (Bachelor degree or higher).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Pharmacists Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Retail Trade 71.1% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 24.0% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Wholesale Trade 1.4% Construction 8.9%
    Public Administration and Safety 1.1% Education and Training 8.8%
    Manufacturing 0.5% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.4% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Education and Training 0.2% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Other Services 0.2% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Administrative and Support Services <0.1% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      28.5%

    • Victoria

      26.7%

    • Queensland

      21.0%

    • South Australia

      7.2%

    • Tasmania

      2.6%

    • Northern Territory

      0.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.9%

    Pharmacists Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 7,700 28.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 7,200 26.7% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 5,700 21.0% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 1,900 7.2% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 3,100 11.3% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 700 2.6% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 210 0.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 500 1.9% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Pharmacists

    Total employment

    Age group Pharmacists Total employment
    15–24 years 9.0% 14.3%
    25–34 years 37.2% 22.7%
    35–44 years 28.0% 22.3%
    45–54 years 13.6% 20.4%
    55–64 years 8.6% 15.3%
    65–74 years 3.0% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.6% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Pharmacists Total employment
    Female 64.6% 48.5%
    Male 35.4% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

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

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

      Download

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

      Find out more

      What is OSCA   OSCA content updates