Pharmaceutical Technicians and Assistants: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)
Pharmaceutical Technicians and Assistants is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 3213) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.
- Dispensing technician
- Pharmaceutical assistant
- Pharmaceutical technician
Pay in the UK for this job
UK occupation used: Pharmaceutical technicians (SOC 2020 code 3212). Placeivo matched this to ISCO-08 3213 by job title and duties; the UK and international occupation lists do not line up exactly. National figure for the whole United Kingdom, in pounds sterling (GBP), before income tax and National Insurance.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by 4-digit SOC 2020): tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross) and 14.1a (weekly pay, gross), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom. Weekly pay is for April 2025; annual pay is for the tax year ending 5 April 2025, employees in the same job for at least a year. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
UK Skilled Worker visa for this job
This occupation (UK code 3212, Pharmaceutical technicians) is a medium-skilled job. GOV.UK says a new visa for a medium-skilled job is usually possible only if the job is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, with their own conditions; some people extending a visa they already hold have different rules. Check both lists before applying. GOV.UK says the lower going rate applies if you apply for a Health and Care Worker visa in certain occupations, or got the certificate of sponsorship for your first Skilled Worker visa before 4 April 2024 and have held one ever since. Going rates are for a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated for other hours. Placeivo matched this UK code to ISCO-08 3213 by job title; the lists do not line up exactly.
This is a summary of official rules, not legal advice. Rules change and some people (for example those already on a Skilled Worker visa) have different rules. Always check GOV.UK before you apply.
Source: UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK tables "Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes" and "Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes", updated 2025-07-22, retrieved 2026-10-15. General minimum salary from GOV.UK "Skilled Worker visa: Your job", checked 2026-10-15.
Compare UK visa going rates by job · Eligible occupations (GOV.UK) · Going rates (GOV.UK) · Salary rules (GOV.UK)
Latest pharmaceutical technicians and assistants job ads
Real vacancies from the official public employment services, updated daily. Job titles are translated into English automatically; the full ad opens on the official site in German or Swedish (your browser's translate button turns it into English).
Germany
848 open ads- Pharmacy technician
German title: Pharmazeutisch-Technischer Assistent
Diakonie Klinikum Dietrich Bonhoeffer GmbH · Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg · Posted 2026-10-19 - <g id="1">□ </g>Pharmaceutical-technical assistant
German title: Pharmazeutisch-technische/r Assistent
Natalja Edelstein e. K. · Wilhelmshaven · Posted 2026-10-08 - Pharmacy technician
German title: Pharmazeutisch-technischer Assistent
Qire Group GmbH · Kirchheim unter Teck · Posted 2026-10-07 - Pharmacy technician
German title: Pharmazeutisch-technischer Assistent
Qire Group GmbH · Illertissen · Posted 2026-10-05 - Pharmacy technician
German title: Pharmazeutisch-technischer Assistent
Qire Group GmbH · Hanau · Posted 2026-10-05 - Pharmacy technician
German title: Pharmazeutisch-technischer Assistent
Qire Group GmbH · Koblenz am Rhein · Posted 2026-10-05
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Germany
Sweden
31 open ads- Pharmacy Technician for Apotek Hjärtat, Tidaholm
Swedish title: Apotekstekniker till Apotek Hjärtat, Tidaholm
Apotek Hjärtat AB · Tidaholm · Posted 2026-10-19 - Municipal pharmacist
Swedish title: Kommunfarmaceut
Marks kommun · Mark · Posted 2026-10-16 - Pharmacist
Swedish title: Farmaceut
Apoteket AB · Eksjö · Posted 2026-10-16 - Pharmacy Technician for Apotek Hjärtat, Olofström
Swedish title: Apotekstekniker till Apotek Hjärtat, Olofström
Apotek Hjärtat AB · Olofström · Posted 2026-10-15 - Pharmacist
Swedish title: Farmaceut
Apoteket AB · Mjölby · Posted 2026-10-14 - Pharmacist
Swedish title: Farmaceut
Apoteket AB · Norrköping · Posted 2026-10-12
Source: Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Sweden
Where pharmaceutical technicians and assistants are needed in Europe
| Country | EURES 2025 | Average gross pay, all technicians and associate professionals (2022) | 1-bed rent in the capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Shortage | €2,918 a month * | Paris: €1,550 |
| Germany | Shortage | €3,856 a month | Berlin: €1,350 |
| Greece | Shortage | €1,682 a month * | Athens: €1,150 |
| Netherlands | Shortage | €3,769 a month | Not yet verified |
| Sweden | Shortage | €3,915 a month * | Stockholm: €2,100 |
| Austria | Surplus | €3,816 a month * | Vienna: €1,250 |
| Czechia | Surplus | €1,724 a month | Prague: €1,250 |
| Denmark | Surplus | €5,731 a month * | Copenhagen: €1,800 |
| Latvia | Surplus | €1,618 a month | Riga: €870 |
| Luxembourg | Surplus | €5,642 a month * | Luxembourg: €1,900 |
| Portugal | Surplus | €1,723 a month * | Lisbon: €1,400 |
| Romania | Surplus | €1,292 a month * | Not yet verified |
Pay: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, mean gross monthly earnings of all technicians and associate professionals in each country, in euros. This is the average for the whole occupation group, not for pharmaceutical technicians and assistants alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.
What pharmaceutical technicians and assistants do
Pharmaceutical technicians and assistants perform a variety of tasks associated with dispensing medicinal products under the guidance of a pharmacist or other health professional.
Typical tasks
- Preparing medications and other pharmaceutical compounds under the guidance of a pharmacist or other health professional
- Dispensing medicines and drugs to clients and giving written and oral instructions on their use, as prescribed by medical doctors, veterinarians or other health professionals
- Receiving prescriptions or refill requests from health professionals and verifying that information is complete and accurate according to medical record-keeping standards
- Maintaining proper storage and security conditions for drugs
- Filling and labelling containers with prescribed medications
- Assisting clients by answering questions, locating items or referring them to a pharmacist for medication information
- Pricing and filing prescriptions that have been filled and establish and maintaining patient records, including lists of medications taken by individual patients
- Ordering, labelling, and counting stock of medications, chemicals and supplies, and entering inventory data into records-keeping systems
- Cleaning and preparing equipment and containers used to prepare and dispense medicines and pharmaceutical compounds
Finding pharmaceutical technicians and assistants jobs in Europe
- EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Pharmaceutical technician".
- Some jobs are regulated professions: before you can work, your qualification may need to be recognised in the new country.
- If you are not an EU/EEA citizen you will usually need a work permit or a visa such as the EU Blue Card. Check the rules of the country's immigration authority.
Cost of living where the jobs are
Take-home pay needed to rent a good 1-bedroom flat in the capitals of countries reporting a shortage:
About this data
- Shortage and surplus: European Labour Authority, EURES Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annex table 21 (published 2026). Each country's public employment service reports which occupations it finds hard to fill or in oversupply. Countries not listed did not report this occupation as either.
- Definition, tasks and job titles: International Labour Organization, ISCO-08 structure and definitions.
- Pay: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_48), by occupation group. United Kingdom, closest UK occupation: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (median pay of full-time employees).
- Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.