Statistics

2024 Health Manpower Survey on Pharmacists

Key Findings

---

The pharmacists covered in the 2024 Health Manpower Survey on Pharmacists (HMS-PHARM) were pharmacists registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Chapter 138) as at the survey reference date of 30 June 2024.

The number of pharmacists covered was 3 332.

Of the 3 332 pharmacists covered, 1 371 responded to the survey, including 488 (35.6%) who submitted their responses through online platform and 883 (64.4%) who submitted by post, giving an overall response rate of 41.1%. Among the 1 371 responding pharmacists, 1 109 (80.9%) were active^†‡ and 262 (19.1%) were inactive^†§ as at the survey reference date of 30 June 2024.

Of the 1 109 active pharmacists enumerated, 1 086 (97.9%) were practising in the local pharmacy profession, and 22 (2.0%) were seeking jobs in the local pharmacy profession.

The survey results presented in this section were based on the information provided by 1 086 responding pharmacists who were practising in the local pharmacy profession as at the survey reference date of 30 June 2024 (hereafter referred to as “active local pharmacist”). The percentages present below may not add up to 100% due to missing responses or rounding.

1. Of the 1 086 active local pharmacists enumerated, there were 505 (46.5%) male and 566 (52.1%) female. The remaining 15 (1.4%) respondents did not indicate their gender. Among the 1 071 respondents who indicated their gender, the overall sex ratio (males per 100 females) was 89. The median age of the 1 072 active local pharmacists enumerated who reported their age was 42.0 years. Among 1 060 responding pharmacists with known age and gender, the median age of females and males were 41.0 years and 43.0 years respectively.
2. The respondents were requested to indicate the characteristics of their main jobs^║. Among the 1 086 active local pharmacists enumerated, 610 (56.2%) reported that their main jobs were in the private sector, 328 (30.2%) in the Hospital Authority, 103 (9.5%) in the Government and 42 (3.9%) in the academic and subvented sectors.
3. Respondents were asked to indicate the time spent on different areas of work. The main area of work is defined as the area in which they spent most of their working time. Of the 1 086 active local pharmacists enumerated, 760 (70.0%) worked in service in pharmacy^*, 129 (11.9%) in administration/management^¶ and 65 (6.0%) reported manufacturing/marketing/sales^** as their main area of work. Nine (0.8%) did not indicate their area of work.
4. Among the 1 076 active local pharmacists enumerated who reported their weekly working hours, the median number of hours of work per week (excluding meal breaks) was 42.5 hours. Among the 1 086 active local pharmacists enumerated, 102 (9.4%) were required to undertake on-call duty, with a median 8.0 hours of on-call duty per week (excluding normal duty).

†	In the survey, the criteria used in defining economically active/inactive followed those recommended by the International Labour Organization, which are also being used by the Census and Statistics Department in Hong Kong.
‡	Economically active (“active”) pharmacists included all “employed” and “unemployed” pharmacists. “Employed” pharmacists referred to those pharmacists practising in the pharmacy profession in Hong Kong as at the survey reference date; and“Unemployed” pharmacists referred to those pharmacists who (i) were not practising in the local pharmacy profession as at the survey reference date; (ii) had been available for work during the seven days before the survey reference date; AND (iii) had sought work in the local pharmacy profession during the 30 days before the survey reference date. The respondent would be classified as “unemployed” if he/she had sought work in the local pharmacy profession but had not been available for work because of temporary sickness. The respondent would be classified as “unemployed” if he/she fulfilled conditions (i) and (ii) but had not sought work during the 30 days before enumeration because he/she believed that work was not available; had made arrangements to take up a new job; was starting business on a subsequent date; or was expecting to return to the original job in the local pharmacy profession.
§	Economically inactive (“inactive”) pharmacists referred to the responding pharmacists who were not practising in the pharmacy profession in Hong Kong as at the survey reference date, excluding those who were on leave and who were “economically active” but “unemployed”.
║	Main jobs referred to the jobs in which the pharmacists had spent most of their working time.
*	Service in pharmacy referred to work which had direct contact with patients in dispensing and patient counselling.
¶	Administration/Management referred to work which was out of scope of pharmacy such as supervising staff, accounting, budget control, procurement of drugs, etc.
**	Manufacturing/Marketing/Sales referred to work involving in the pharmaceutical company (wholesaler) or pharmaceutical manufacturer such as manufacturing, marketing and sales.

Of the 262 inactive pharmacists enumerated:

1. 170 (64.9%) reported not seeking jobs in the local pharmacy profession during the 30 days before the survey reference date. Among those 170 inactive pharmacists, the reasons for not seeking jobs in the local pharmacy profession included: 62 (36.5%) had retired, 46 (27.1%) were working in other professions, 19 (11.2%) wanted to take a rest/had no motive to work/had no financial need, etc.
2. 86 (32.8%) reported practising overseas, four (1.5%) reported practising in Macao or other areas of the Greater Bay Area and one (0.4%) reported practising in other areas of the Mainland.

Notes:	*	Figure refers to the number of pharmacists who had registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Chapter 138) as at the survey reference date of 30 June 2024.
	†	Figure refers to the number of responding pharmacists who (a) were not practising in the pharmacy profession in Hong Kong as at the survey reference date; (b) had been available for work in the local pharmacy profession during the seven days before the survey reference date; AND (c) had sought work in the local pharmacy profession during the 30 days before the survey reference date.
	§	Figure refers to the number of responding pharmacists who were not available for work in the local pharmacy profession during the seven days before the survey reference date.
	‖	Figure refers to the number of responding pharmacists who reported not seeking work in the local pharmacy profession during the 30 days before the survey reference date due to other reasons such as undertaking study, starting business in the pharmacy profession, etc.
	Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.