The survey of 250 community pharmacist branch managers found that their average salary stood at £50,589.52 - up more than £3,000 from just over £47,000 the previous year.

It also found that more than two-thirds (68%) of 246 respondents who answered the question had experienced a salary increase in the previous 12 months, while 30% said their pay had stayed the same and just 2% had seen a drop.

Of those who had experienced a pay rise, almost a quarter (22%) had seen a 3% increase and a fifth (20%) had experienced a 6-10% increase.

 

“High cost of living” tempers pay satisfaction

 

However, almost four in ten (39%) out of 246 pharmacist manager respondents described themselves as ‘dissatisfied’ with their salary.

Just 16% said they were ‘very’ or ‘more than satisfied’, while almost half (45%) said they were ‘fairly satisfied’.

Read more: Eight in 10 employee pharmacists considered quitting in 2022

Of those who were dissatisfied, 59% blamed their employer while 25% blamed the government for not providing enough funding.

One respondent said that the “high cost of living” has tempered any increase in salary, saying that they received a standard 2% pay rise but “feel like [they] have had a decrease”.

Read more: Revealed: The average locum pharmacist pay rate in 2022

Another survey participant said they saw “very meagre increases considering inflation is at 10-11% for most cost of living”.

They added that they “feel very much let down by the sector, especially as locum fees have very dramatically increased recently”.

 

“Never had a bonus in 32 years”

 

Meanwhile, more than half (54%) of 241 pharmacist manager respondents told C+D that they had received a bonus from their employer in the past year.

However, many others had never received a bonus, including one anonymous branch manager who said they had “never, ever had one in 32 years”.

Another respondent told C+D that targets to qualify for bonuses are “set so high it is almost impossible” at their pharmacy.

Read more: A fifth of employee pharmacists report ‘dangerous’ levels of understaffing

One branch manager told C+D that because of COVID, they received “no pay increase despite the additional pressure we worked through, just a £75 voucher”.

“Pharmacists earning below a basic rate have seen significant salary increase to retain them but nothing [was] awarded to experienced pharmacists,” they added.

And another respondent said that while other staff received a bonus, they as the manager did not, which was “hurtful”.

Read more: Quarter of pharmacy workers suffered depression due to work over past year

One told C+D they received their bonus to “spend within the company”, while others said they “had to fight to be awarded” it in the first place.

Luckier respondents reported bonuses, with one receiving £1,000 for Eid as well £1,000 for Christmas and another receiving a £9,000 bonus.

The C+D Salary Survey 2022 ran between October 25 2022 and January 20 2023 and was completed by a total of 1,480 pharmacists and pharmacy staff.

 

See all the coverage so far on the C+D Salary Survey hub