But companies may find it harder now to attract and retain employees who are not willing to take on the extra workload. Jon C. Schommer, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Pharmacy, said wages were already stagnating before the pandemic because more pharmacy schools opened in response to a shortage of workers in the 2000s. In 2020, the median annual salary for pharmacists was $128,710, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Although some chains are offering financial incentives, a recent survey from the American Pharmacists Association found that 47 percent of respondents said they were working more hours during the pandemic, while only 12 percent reported a salary increase.Pharmacists and technicians said they were leaving retail pharmacie …
