Pharmacy Assistant Salaries in Canada
Hi there!
Do you want to know how much pharmacy assistants make in Canada?
Well, you’re in the right place! In this post, we’ll discuss pharmacy assistant salaries across Canada and provide you with the latest information (2022) on starting salaries, average salaries, and benefits for this occupation.
So, if you’re looking for insights into how much pharmacy assistants in your city or province make, read on!!
You will also find valuable information that will provide you with an understanding of how various factors such as location, occupation, and employment outlook can affect pharmacy assistant salaries.
Pharmacy Assistant Salary By Region and Experience
According to the information from the Government of Canada’s salary report (data updated on November 17, 2021), the hourly wage for pharmacy assistants or “drugstore dispensing assistants” ranges from $13.00 to $27.00. The median hourly wage in Canada is $20.50.
| Community / Region | Low ( $/ hour ) | Median ($ /hour ) | High ( $ /hour ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 15.00 | 20.00 | 27.00 |
| British Columbia | 15.65 | 22.25 | 26.00 |
| Manitoba | 13.50 | 19.60 | 23.91 |
| New Brunswick | 14.50 | 20.71 | 27.77 |
| Nova Scotia | 13.60 | 21.70 | 26.00 |
| Ontario | 15.50 | 18.50 | 27.55 |
| Prince Edward Island | 13.70 | 22.00 | 25.65 |
| Quebec | 14.25 | 21.00 | 29.00 |
| Saskatchewan | 13.00 | 18.46 | 23.08 |
| Nunavut | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Northwest Territories | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Yukon | N/A | N/A | N/A |
The main source of this data is from the Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. The low wage means that 10% of the pharmacy assistants in Canada earn $13.00 / hour or less. The high wage means that 90% of the pharmacy assistants in Canada earn $27.00 / hour or less. The median hourly wage of $20.50 / hour will be the most accurate representation of what the typical pharmacy assistant wage would be since this value is less sensitive to outliers.
If you want to determine the annual salary of a pharmacy assistant by using the hourly wage data, please note a significant number of employers consider 32 hours a week as full time employment. Rather than assuming a full time working week of 40 hours, it is helpful to calculate an expected estimated salary range.
We have done this calculation for you using the median wage in the table below.
| Province | Annual Salary (in $) based on 32 hour work week | Annual Salary (in $) based on 40 hour work week |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 33,280 | 41,600 |
| British Columbia | 37,024 | 46,280 |
| Manitoba | 25,088 | 40,768 |
| New Brunswick | 34,461 | 43,076 |
| Nova Scotia | 34,461 | 45,136 |
| Ontario | 30,784 | 38,480 |
| Prince Edward Island | 36,608 | 45,760 |
| Quebec | 34,944 | 43,680 |
| Saskatchewan | 30,717 | 38,396 |
| Nunavut | N/A | N/A |
| Northwest Territories | N/A | N/A |
| Yukon | N/A | N/A |
Pharmacy Assistant Salary by Company
We have compiled data from various sources in order to provide you with an overview of starting pharmacy assistant salaries across various companies. By compiling this information, we hope to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of starting pharmacy assistant salaries. Our data will be updated regularly, we want this to be the largest and most accessible database of pharmacy assistant salaries in Canada.
You can sort the data by clicking on the menu bar. If you click on the employer or city, it will arrange in ascending or descending alphabetical order. If you click on the wages, it will arrange them in ascending or descending numerical order. By selecting the arrow next to “show,” you can select “ALL” to view all the entries at once. You can also filter the data by using the search bar at the top.
Pharmacy Assistant Salary by Company in British Columbia
The table below shows the starting pharmacy assistant wages from the job postings for many of the cities located in British Columbia. Note that these are only starting salaries, and may not be accurate depending on the specific region or city. However, they provide a general idea of how much pharmacy assistants can expect to earn upon becoming employed.
| Date | City | Employer | Starting Pharmacy Assistant Salary Hourly Range (Low) | Starting Pharmacy Assistant Salary Hourly Range (High) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Granville Pharmacy | $18 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Omnicare Pharmacy | $20 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Coal Harbour Compounding Pharmacy | $19 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Shoppers Drug Mart #232 | $17.30 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Richmond | Shoppers Drug Mart #2237 | $17 | $24 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Saanichton | Joe's Family Pharmacy | $21 | |
| 2022-Oct | Coquitlam | Lifecare Compounding Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | Hillside Pharmasave | $17 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Pure Integrative Pharmacy | $20 | $24 |
| 2022-Oct | Coquitlam | Felix Pharmacy | $18.75 | $21.63 |
| 2022-Oct | Port Coquitlam | Create Compounding Pharmacy | $19 | |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Walmart | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | Elements Compounding Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | Cridge Family Pharmacy | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | BC Wide | RPI Consulting Group | $20 | |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | Edmonds Pharmacy | $18 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Surrey | All Cure Pharmacy | $19 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Abbotsford | McCallum Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Langley | RX Pharmachoice Pharmacy | $18 | $27 |
| 2022-Oct | Surrey | Pharmasave | $18 | $24 |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | Cool Aid Community Health Centre #677 | $23.05 | $24.92 |
| 2022-Oct | Langley | Pharmasave #12 | $19 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | Weldon Pharmacy | $16 | $25.18 |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | Total Care RX | $22.40 | |
| 2022-Oct | Richmond | CRC Health Center | $17 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Abbotsford | Pharmasave Gladwin | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Agassiz | Agassiz Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Pharmasave Fraser and 49th | $15.70 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | High Gate Pharmacy | $18 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | Guard Burnaby Square Pharmacy | $18 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Ladysmith | Ladysmith Pharmasave | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Marks Marine Pharmacy | $20 | |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | Costco | $16.50 | |
| 2022-Oct | Crofton | Crofton Pharmacy | $16 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | Care First Pharmacy | $18 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Aldergrove | Aldergrove Pharmachoice | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Pharmachoice | $18 | $27 |
| 2022-Oct | Richmond | Simples Drugs | $15.65 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Qualicum Beach | Pharmasave Qualicum | $16.50 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Owl Drugs | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | Quadra Village Pharmacy | $15.65 | $33.25 |
| 2022-Oct | Abbotsford | Pharmacity Drugstore #2 | $18 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | RX Urban Remedies | $19 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | Fort Royal Pharmacy | $15.80 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | Pharmachoice Langford Pharmacy | $18 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Maple Ridge | Loblaw Pharmacy 4980 | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Chilliwack | Chilliwack Pharmacy | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Nanaimo | Central Drugs | $16.50 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Victoria | CareMed | $20 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Maple Ridge | Shoppers Drug Mart #2134 | $16.50 | $28.54 |
| 2022-Oct | Burnaby | Pure Integrative Pharmacy Lab | $19 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Nanaimo | Medicine Shoppe | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Brentwood Bay | Pharmasave 162 | $17 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Surrey | Fraser Health | $25.78 | |
| 2022-Oct | Vancouver | Fraser Health | $25.78 |
Pharmacy Assistant Salary by Company in Ontario
The table below provides information on the starting pharmacy assistant salaries that are available in various locations in Ontario. These are real wages compiled from various job posting websites.
| Date | City | Employer | Starting Pharmacy Assistant Salary Hourly Range (Low) | Starting Pharmacy Assistant Salary Hourly Range (High) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Oct | Bradford West Gwillimbury | Bradford Health Care Pharmacy | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Manitowaning | Manitoulin Guardian Pharmacy Group | $19 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | Lacoste Pharmasave | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Concord | Felix Pharmacy | $20 | |
| 2022-Oct | Oakville | Whole Health Pharmacy | $16 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Mount Forest | Walsh's Pharmacy | $16 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Aylmer | Hills Pharmacy | $17 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Bath | Bath Pharmasave | $15.50 | |
| 2022-Oct | Vaughan | Felix Pharmacy | $19.23 | $21.63 |
| 2022-Oct | Vaughan | Vellore Pharmacy | $20 | $30 |
| 2022-Oct | North York | Pharmasave Finch Medical Pharmacy | $22 | |
| 2022-Oct | Hamilton | Main Medical Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Peterborough | Costco | $15.50 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Milton | James Snow Medical | $17 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Cobourg | York Super IDA Pharmacy | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | Rexall | $15.50 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Casselman | Pharmacie Jean Coutu Pharmacy #224 | $18.45 | |
| 2022-Oct | Merrickville | Merrickville Drug Mart | $19.23 | $23.56 |
| 2022-Oct | Mattawa | Mattawa Pharmacy | $15.50 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | IDA Pharmacy | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Bolton | Bolton Health Pharmacy | $19.23 | $28.85 |
| 2022-Oct | Etobicoke | Lakeshore West Pharmacy | $16 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Hamilton | John Drug Mart IDA Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Wingham | Wingham Pharmasave | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Brantford | Grey Gretzky Pharmacy | $15 | $20.81 |
| 2022-Oct | Etobicoke | Liberty Senior Care Pharmacy | $18 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Vaughan | York Major Pharmacy | $15.50 | $17.50 |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | Dukh Bhanjan Pharmacy | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Brmapton | BHealthServices | $15.50 | $16 |
| 2022-Oct | Russell | Downtown Pharmacy | $22 | |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | IDA Pharmacy | $19.50 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Port Hope | Community Care Pharmacy | $18.30 | $29.78 |
| 2022-Oct | Vaughan | Villa Royale Pharmacy | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Ontario Wide | RPI Consulting Group | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Etobicoke | SRx Pharmacy | $17 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | Queens Pharmacy | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Milton | Medical Clinic Milton | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | North York | Rx Pharmachoice Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Milton | Pharmasave Milton | $18 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | Shoppers Drug Mart | $18.75 | $23.56 |
| 2022-Oct | Vaughan | Langstaff Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Burlington | Goldencare Pharmacy | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Jane Park Plaza Pharmacy | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Oshawa | Oshawa Pharmacy | $19 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | New Hamburg | Cook's Pharmacy | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | London | Costco Pharmacy London South | $18 | $26 |
| 2022-Oct | Woodstock | Pharmasave Woodstock | $15 | |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Davisville Pharmacy | $18 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Etobicoke | One Eva Pharmacy | $17 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Brantford | Brantford Lifecare Pharmacy | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Fort Erie | Fort Erie Pharmacy | $20 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Metro Drugs | $20 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Guelph | Guelph Community Pharmacy | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Scarborough | Total Care Drug Mart | $15 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Aurora | Summit Veterinary Pharmacy | $18.55 | |
| 2022-Oct | Kitchener | Beechwood Forest Pharmacy | $17 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Brmapton | Whole Health Pharmacy Cooksviille | $20 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Kanata | Kanata Pharmasave | $20 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Mississauga | Lake West Pharmacy | $18 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Ajax | Pickering Villager Pharmacy | $15 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Kitchener | Shaker's Pharmacy | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Whitby | Brooklin IDA Pharmacy | $16 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | London | The Health Depot Pharmacy | $18 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Hamilton | Samys Mountain Pharmacy | $18 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | Watson's Pharmacy and Compounding | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | London | FMC Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Lucan | Lucan Drug Mart | $15.50 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | London | Wharncliffe Pharmacy | $16.50 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Simcoe | Pharmasave Simcoe | $14 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Burlington | Shoppers Drug Mart | $18 | $23.22 |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | Brampton Medical Center Pharmacy | $17 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Henley Gardens Pharmacy | $15.50 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Hamilton | Westend Pharmacy | $27 | $28 |
| 2022-Oct | Scarborouigh | Greystone Pharmacy | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Oshawa | Taunton Pharmacy | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Vaughan | HealthShield Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | Bell Pharmacy | $20 | $26 |
| 2022-Oct | Minden | Minden Pharmasave | $15- | |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | Wellness Point Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | White Cross Pharmacy | $18.75 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Tecumseh | Tecumseh Pharmasave | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | North York | Medical Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Orleans | Centrum Medical Pharmacy | $22 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Portland | Portland Pharmasave | $15.50 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Kitchener | St George Medical Center | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Collingwood | Stuart Ellis Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Thunder Bay | Oak Medical Arts | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | First Care Pharmacy | $15 | $23.94 |
| 2022-Oct | Peterborough | Westmount Pharmacy | $16.50 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Nepean | Barrhaven Medical Pharmacy | $15 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Thunder Bay | Lucero | $20 | |
| 2022-Oct | Fenelon Falls | Fenelon Falls Community Pharmacy | $16 | $9 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Yonge Health Pharmacy | $14.42 | $19.23 |
| 2022-Oct | Aurora | Aurora Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Vaughan | Primacare Pharmacy | $19 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Carleton Place | Seaway Valley Pharmacy | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Kingston | Aresh Corporation Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Belleville | Quinte IDA Pharmacy | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Windsor | Valor Health Pharmacy | $16 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Peterborough | Burnham Pharmacy | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Barrie | Pharmasave | $17.79 | $24.04 |
| 2022-Oct | London | Shree Healthcare | $15 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Suniah | White Cedar Pharmacy | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Plympton-Wyoming | Paul Marley Pharmacy | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Spadina's Neighbourhood Pharmacy | $15 | $21.44 |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | Restore Medical Pharmacy | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Oakville | Oakville Town Center Pharmacy | $17.50 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Scarborough | National Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Hamilton | Rexall | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Richmond Hilll | Neighbourhood Pharmasave | $16 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Sault Ste. Marie | Pharmaright Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | St. Catharines | Niagara Health Center Pharmacy | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Unionville | Pharmasave Healthpoint Pharmacy | $15 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Cambridge | Hespeler Pharmacy | $17 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Niagara-on-the-Lake | Simpson's Pharmacies | $16 | $22.35 |
| 2022-Oct | North Bay | Robinson's Pharmasave | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Thornhill | Royal Compounding Pharmacy | $15 | |
| 2022-Oct | Hanmer | Valley Plaza Pharmacy | $14.60 | $15.50 |
| 2022-Oct | Chatham-Kent | Chatham Family Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Balmoral Chemmits | $15.50 | |
| 2022-Oct | Ottawa | Rexall | $15 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Strathroy | Medicenter | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Bloor Dundas Pharmacy | $15.50 | |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | IDA Pharmacy by the Grange | $15 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Hamilton | Midtown Medical Pharmacy | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Minden | Highland Remedy's RX Pharmacy | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Richmond Hill | PureHealth Pharmacy | $17 | $24 |
| 2022-Oct | Mississauga | Lisgar Woods Pharmacy | $20 | |
| 2022-Oct | Elora | Pharmasave Elora Apothecary & Trailside Pharmacy | $20 | |
| 2022-Oct | Thornhill | Murphy Healthcare | $18 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Scarborough | Pharmore Pharmacy | $18 | $24.81 |
| 2022-Oct | Mississauga | SQ1 Health Group | $16 | $25 |
| 2022-Oct | Woodbridge | Costco Vaughan 1261 | $17 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Paris | Paris Pharmacy | $16 | $17 |
| 2022-Oct | Lively | Walden Family Drugst ore | $18 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Fenelon Falls | Fenelon Falls Community Pharmacy | $16 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Whitby | Panacea Pharmaceuticals | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | North Gower | North Gower Pharmacy | $17.50 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Vanier | Vanier Pharmacy | $16 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Oshawa | Courtice Pharmasave | $18.75 | $20.67 |
| 2022-Oct | Peterborough | The Clinic Pharmasave | $15.50 | $16 |
| 2022-Oct | Astorville | East Ferris Pharmasave | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Scarboroughj | Seamless Care Pharmacy | $15.50 | |
| 2022-Oct | Mississauga | Erin Center Pharmacy | $16.50 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Niagara Falls | LiveWell Pharmacy | $20 | $24 |
| 2022-Oct | Kenora | Lake of the Woods District Hospital | $22.86 | $24.09 |
| 2022-Oct | Mississauga | Excellent Care Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Cambridge | Shoppers Drug Mart | $15.65 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | Pharmachoice | $15 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | London | Proudfood Pharmacy | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Burlington | Morellis Family of Pharmacies | $16 | $18 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Davisville Pharmacy | $18 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Community Choice Pharmacy - Blackcreek | $22 | |
| 2022-Oct | Holland Landing | Healthshield Pharmacy in Holland Landing | $17 | |
| 2022-Oct | Brampton | BramNorth Pharmasave | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Brmapton | Storybrook Pharmacy | $15 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Markham | Costco #151 | $15 | $22 |
| 2022-Oct | Oshawa | Intrepid Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Newmarket | Total Health Pharmacy & Home Health Care Center | $15 | $19 |
| 2022-Oct | Guelph | Gordon Pharmasave | $20 | |
| 2022-Oct | Iroquois Falls | RX Drugmart | $15.25 | |
| 2022-Oct | Sarnia | BMC Pharmacy | $16.50 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | North Bay | Marshall Park Pharmasave | $18 | |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Harbourfront Medicine Cabinet Pharmacy | $16 | |
| 2022-Oct | Georgina | Sutton Apothecary | $18.75 | $25.96 |
| 2022-Oct | Waterloo | Westmount Place Pharmasave | $17 | $20 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Warden Woods Pharmacy | $16 | $21 |
| 2022-Oct | Oakville | Oak Lake Pharmacy | $15 | $23 |
| 2022-Oct | Toronto | Greenwood Pharmacy | $15.97 | $21 |
Factors that Affect Pharmacy Assistant Salaries
Several factors affect pharmacy assistant salaries in Canada, so let’s explore them together. These factors are location, experience, the company and type of pharmacy. We will be discussing how to maximize your wage as a pharmacy assistant.
Location of Pharmacy
First, let’s look at how location affects pharmacy assistant salaries. Salaries vary by province and city in Canada. Manitoba, Ontario, and British Columbia have the highest salaries. Cities or regions with higher living costs generally have the highest pharmacy assistant salaries.
Manitoba: $44,947
Ontario: $41,762
British Columbia: $41,000
Quebec: $39,430
Alberta: $39,005
Saskatchewan: $38,077
Prince Edward Island: $37,852
Newfoundland and Labrador: $37,782
Nova Scotia: $37,221
New Brunswick: $37,138
In the data set, pharmacy assistants may command a higher wage in more rural and remote communities where they may be a lack of worker availability. In the Wood Buffalo – Cold Lake Region of Alberta, pharmacy assistants can earn as much as $49.00 an hour.
Experience as a Pharmacy Assistant
If you guessed more experience equals more pay, you’d be right! From entry-level to senior level, the range for pharmacy assistants is as low as $31,000 to $50,000. Most job ads usually list a salary range, and this is done to allow applicants flexibility in choosing the appropriate salary. Don’t be afraid to ask for more if you feel that you are worth it! Having experience working as a pharmacy assistant or having a pharmacy assistant certification from a local college gives you the credibility to ask for a higher wage.
The average yearly wage increase is around 1% and it is not usually matched to inflation. Government positions may provide a higher annual wage increase compared to private sector jobs. Further education, training, and changing to a higher-level role would be necessary to boost your income in the pharmaceutical world.
Compounding Pharmacy Assistant Experience
Pharmacy assistants who are skilled in compounding experience are highly sought after by employers. Many patients require specialized dosage recommendations that aren’t always available through commercially available products. Compounded medications can be tailored to address specific symptoms or conditions, which can result in improved effectiveness and fewer side effects. Compounding provides pharmacies with increased revenue opportunities, and they are happy to pay workers accordingly.
Type of Pharmacy
Another impact on your salary as a pharmacy assistant is the type of pharmacy. Are you working in a retail pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy, or a hospital? Well, your salary will depend on your answer. 
As you surf job boards, you may notice that hospital pharmacies tend to pay more, making them a desirable target. However, they may be a more difficult place to get hired since they have fewer job openings. Don’t let that stop you from applying, though!
Specialty pharmacies are another route to higher pay. They may require more experience from job candidates, but the income is worth the wait.
The top three highest paying companies in Canada are Markham Stouffville Hospital, IWK Health Centre, and Nova Scotia Health Authority Company. Notably, retail pharmacies rank as some of the lowest paying. However, as an entry-level candidate, starting at a retail pharmacy may be the most accessible option.
Hourly vs. Total
When exploring salaries, many job-seekers don’t look past the hourly wage. However, in the pharmaceutical industry, you must be mindful of the total compensation based on the hours you’ll be able to work.
Many companies consider full-time 32 hours rather than 40, so be careful when analyzing hourly salary rather than weekly, monthly or yearly. During the interview process, make a point to ask the number of hours you’ll be working weekly.
Average and Starting Salaries
Before the pandemic, starting salaries for pharmacy assistant roles were roughly minimum wage. However, you’re in luck if you’ve chosen this field now! The starting salaries have risen with current demand. Now, expect to start around $18 per hour.
Nationwide, the average pharmacy assistant makes $42,979 per year. With demand on the rise, we may expect further increases in starting and average salaries for this role. For example, in Alberta, pharmacy assistants are expected to have above-average job growth of over 3%.
Pharmacy Assistant Benefits
Now that we’ve discussed salaries, it’s time to go over benefits! Comparing benefits offered across multiple job opportunities is vital to ensure you’re going for the best option. They can be just as important when job searching as salary.
Typically, full-time pharmacy assistants receive health and dental benefits. If you’re working at a large chain retailer, you may receive 10% off groceries. At a smaller pharmacy, they may offer an even higher discount, such as the ability to purchase everything at cost + 5% markup. Specialty pharmacies typically pay higher wages and offer paid half-hour or hour-long lunch breaks. Some pharmacies may offer RRSP matching.
So, are you ready to jump into this career path? This is an excellent field with competitive average and starting salaries, good benefits, and high demand. Now’s the time to start your pharmacy assistant journey!
