How Much Does a Pharmacist Make?

According to the Canadian Pharmacist Association (CphA), there is a national pharmacist shortage across the county. This shortage has led many people to realize there are more job opportunities in the industry, and they have started considering a career as a pharmacist. With such a high need in the field, many people wonder how much pharmacists earn in Canada to help determine if it’s a good career option. 

Read on to learn about the average salary of a pharmacist in Canada and how — with ShiftPosts — you can earn more. 

Pharmacist Average Salary in Canada

As a pharmacist, networking is an important process for future success, and avoiding it is a huge career mistake. Not only is pharmacist networking the highest source of new employment, but it can also help you achieve your pharmacy career goals. You’ll be able to obtain advice, additional information about your career, and new opportunities in your field. Frequent networking can also boost your confidence and improve your communication skills. 

Glassdoor reports that the average salary for a pharmacist in Canada is $105,925 a year, including benefits. 

Salary Range

The possible salary range for a Canadian pharmacist is between $87,000 and $190,000. However, a more likely range is between $97,000 and $139,000.

Experience Level

One way to boost how much pharmacists earn in Canada is through experience. The longer you’ve been in the field and the more career experience you have, the more you are likely to get paid. On average, more experienced pharmacists can make about $5,000 more per year than entry-level pharmacists.

Job Title

How much does a pharmacist make based on job title? It varies depending on your position. Here are some of the average annual salaries for common pharmacy roles. 

Pharmacist Salaries by Location

Location also influences how much money a pharmacist makes in Canada. More populated areas like Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia tend to have better-paying jobs for pharmacists than less populated areas. However, there is still a decent pay range from province to province. 

Province Pay Rates

Here’s how much a pharmacist makes, based on the median average, per province:

• Alberta — $111,536
• British Columbia —  $98,725
• Manitoba — $110,436
• New Brunswick — $98,894 
• Newfoundland and Labrador —  $97557
• Northwest Territories — N/A
• Nova Scotia — $93,743
• Nunavut — N/A
• Ontario — $101,646 
• Prince Edward Island — N/A 
• Quebec — $112,199
• Saskatchewan — $109,108 
• Yukon — N/A

City Wages

Pharmacist wages vary from city to city, just like they do between provinces, and smaller cities tend to have lower wages, even if they are located in a higher-paying province. 

According to Indeed, these cities have the highest-paying jobs (per hour) for pharmacists in Canada. 

• Calgary, Alberta — $52.11
• Windsor, Ontario — $51.40
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — $51.32
• Ottawa, Ontario — $51.04
• Nanaimo, British Columbia — $50.57
• Edmonton, Alberta — $49.87
• Victoria, British Columbia — $49.56
• Brampton, Ontario — $44.55
• Toronto, Ontario — $43.28

Education Degrees

As with any career, your education level influences your average salary. Pharmacists need, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree to enter the field in an entry-level position. For those who earn a master’s or doctoral degree, their pharmacist salary will be more.

Other Factors That Influence a Pharmacist’s Salary

There are additional factors that can increase how much pharmacists earn in Canada, including: 

• Bonuses — These are often awarded based on performance, though some pharmacists who are involved in generating revenue can get bonuses based on the pharmacy’s annual revenue. 
• Hourly wage — Hourly wages directly impact how much a pharmacist makes per year, meaning the higher the hourly pay, the more the annual salary.

How Much You Can Make Using ShiftPosts

At ShiftPosts, we help connect pharmacies with relief pharmacists to fill open shifts across Canada. Thanks to our innovative platform that lets relief pharmacists and pharmacies set their pay per shift, relief pharmacists can make just as much — if not more — than traditional pharmacists and can do it in less time!

Let’s look at some examples of how ShiftPosts influences how much pharmacists earn in Canada. 

A traditional pharmacist working 5 shifts a week for 50 weeks, with a 2-week vacation, can make an average salary of $105,925 in one year. 

A relief pharmacist using ShiftPosts has more options. 

Relief pharmacists can earn an average of $525.75 per shift. This means that, to match what a traditional pharmacist makes, a relief pharmacist only has to work 201 shifts in 40 weeks to reach the same annual salary. That’s 12 weeks of vacation, and the same pay, compared to the traditional work schedule. 

As another example, let’s see what happens when a relief pharmacist works the same schedule as a traditional pharmacist. 

A relief pharmacist working 5 shifts per week at $525.75 an hour is making $2,628.75 a week. Add that up for 50 weeks with a 2-week vacation, and this relief pharmacist is making $131,437.50 a year. 

What if a relief pharmacist only wants to work one relief shift a week? That’s still $27,560 a year, which is excellent for only working four or five days a month!

With ShiftPosts, you can make more money while working less and still enjoy a full-time salary. 

Ready to Become a Relief Pharmacist?

If you’re already a pharmacist and relief shifts sound like a perfect fit for your life, download the ShiftPosts app to get more flexibility in your career — and salary — today.