ANZSCO 2515-11,13Australian Capital Territory
Hospital and Retail PharmacistMay 2017
Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch
Department of Employment
Current labour market ratingNo Shortage
Previous labour market rating (April 2016)No Shortage
Comments
While the labour market for pharmacists has tightened slightly in recent years, employers continue to attract sufficient numbers of suitable applicantstofill theirvacancies.
Survey results[1]
- There were relatively small fields of candidates for surveyed vacancies in 2017 by historical standards (3.6 per vacancy on average, of whom 1.3 were considered to be suitable compared with an average of more than 6.0, with 2.2 suitable, in the previous five years).
- Employers also filled a low proportion of their vacancies (71percent) compared with most years over the past decade.
- Despite this, employers generally attracted sufficient numbers of suitable applicants to fill their vacancies.
- The unfilled vacancies were diverse in nature, including part-time retail and full-timeclinical hospital-based positions.
- Almost every employer who had unfilled vacancies attracted qualified applicants but they did not have the skill sets which met the employers’ specific needs or were unavailable for the required hours.
- Shortages have not been identified in this labour market since 2008.
Unsuitable applicants
- The main reasons applicants were considered to be unsuitable were a lack of
- sector specific experience (that is,within the clinical or retail setting)
- general experience as a pharmacist (some applicants had not completed their one year internship).
- A small number of applicants were unqualified.
Demand and supply trends
- Training for pharmacists is through the completion of a Bachelor of Pharmacy or Master of Pharmacy. Registration with theAustralian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is also required.
- AHPRA accredited training is available through the University of Canberra at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
- Completions have varied over recent years in the ACT.
- There have been relatively low numbers of graduations from the master’s course over the past few years (less than 20 per annum).[2]
- Graduates from the master’s course were the only local source of new supply until 2016 (when the first several students graduated from the recently introduced bachelor degree).[3]
- Around 112 students were enrolled in the bachelor level course and 27in the master’s in 2016.[4]
- The number of registered pharmacists in the ACT has increased by 32 per cent since March 2012 to around 490 in March 2017.[5]
Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch
Department of Employment
[1] The methodology underpinning this research is outlined at Skill Shortage Research Methodology | Department of Employment - Document library, Australian Government and can also be accessed by the QR code
[2] Department of Education and Training, Higher Education Student Data Collection, 2015, customised table
[3]Data for bachelor level student completions and enrolments in 2016 was provided to the Department by the University of Canberra1August 2017.
[4]Ibid
[5]AHPRA,Pharmacy Board of Australia, Registrant Data, various issues