Shortage of Pharmacists Continues in Germany

Germany's Federal Employment Agency (BA) has once again confirmed a nationwide shortage of pharmacists. This is according to the 2024 analysis of skills shortages, recently published by the BA, which details professions where filling reported vacancies is difficult due to a lack of qualified personnel.

The shortage indicator for the professional group "pharmacists/pharmaceutical scientists" is currently 2.2, exceeding the threshold of 2.0 which designates a shortage profession. However, this figure shows a slight improvement compared to previous years, with indicators of 2.5 in 2024 and 2.7 in 2023.

For the professional subgroup "pharmaceutical technical assistants" (PTA), the shortage indicator is 1.8. After being classified as a shortage profession in the preceding two years, this group now falls below the threshold and is under observation.

A key data source for identifying shortages is the number of vacant positions reported by companies to the BA. ABDA, the German Association of Pharmacists, urges pharmacies to report their open positions to the employment agencies to ensure accurate statistical tracking.