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Pharmacy assistant

Also called dispensing assistant, assistant in pharmacy, pharmacy service assistant

Pharmacy assistants perform general duties, such as stock management, serving at the cash desk, or performing administrative duties. They deal with the inventory within the pharmacy under the supervision of a pharmacist.

Will there be jobs?Yes, good prospects41 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Health associate professionalsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,500 (Bulgaria) to €8,200 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Health associate professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree4 in 10 have a degree. 3 in 10 train through vocational routes.Health associate professionalsWill AI change it?LittleLevel 2 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.Pharmaceutical technicians and assistants · ILO

What you'd do

Pharmaceutical technicians and assistants · ILO
  • Preparing medications and other pharmaceutical compounds under the guidance of a pharmacist or other health professional
  • Dispensing medicines and drugs to clients and giving written and oral instructions on their use, as prescribed by medical doctors, veterinarians or other health professionals
  • Receiving prescriptions or refill requests from health professionals and verifying that information is complete and accurate according to medical record-keeping standards
  • Maintaining proper storage and security conditions for drugs
  • Filling and labelling containers with prescribed medications
  • Assisting clients by answering questions, locating items or referring them to a pharmacist for medication information
  • Pricing and filing prescriptions that have been filled and establish and maintaining patient records, including lists of medications taken by individual patients
  • Ordering, labelling, and counting stock of medications, chemicals and supplies, and entering inventory data into records-keeping systems
  • Cleaning and preparing equipment and containers used to prepare and dispense medicines and pharmaceutical compounds
Contribute to continuity of health careCommunicate in healthcareUse e-health and mobile health technologiesManage healthcare users' dataRespond to changing situations in health care+ 33 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • On your feet most of the day
  • Constant contact with people, including the public
  • Little freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines now and then
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Pharmacy Aides"

Will there be jobs?

Yes, good prospects

Many jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as health associate professionals in the EU
6.04m6.64m7.71m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
921,000 new jobs 1,847,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Health associate professionals41
All jobs29
Right now
5 of 27 countries report a shortage of pharmaceutical technicians and assistants, 7 a surplus.
Pharmaceutical technicians and assistants · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,500 a month (Bulgaria) to €8,200 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in medicine is the usual route.

Highest qualification of health associate professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 37%Vocational 49%General secondary 6%Basic schooling 8%
Fields that teach it
Medicine · Occupational health and safety
Vocational route, EU
3 in 10 trainees in this field
Health and welfare graduates in a matching job
81% in the EU

946 institutions in the EU offer health and welfare bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Little

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.30 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 9 tasks
Pricing and filing prescriptions that have been filled and establish and maintaining patient records, including lists of medications taken by individual patients0.51
Receiving prescriptions or refill requests from health professionals and verifying that information is complete and accurate according to medical record-keeping standards0.42
Assisting clients by answering questions, locating items or referring them to a pharmacist for medication information0.39
Ordering, labelling, and counting stock of medications, chemicals and supplies, and entering inventory data into records-keeping systems0.33
Dispensing medicines and drugs to clients and giving written and oral instructions on their use, as prescribed by medical doctors, veterinarians or other health professionals0.28
Preparing medications and other pharmaceutical compounds under the guidance of a pharmacist or other health professional0.24
Maintaining proper storage and security conditions for drugs0.21
Filling and labelling containers with prescribed medications0.17
Cleaning and preparing equipment and containers used to prepare and dispense medicines and pharmaceutical compounds0.15

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for pharmaceutical technicians and assistants. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).