5 Reasons Ireland Hires For More pharmacy Assistant Jobs Than The UK
Hiring for pharmacy assistant jobs surpassed the UK in many ways. Ireland continues to expand its job market. It’s at an all time high for Medical Industries
In the age of Brexit, the healthcare systems of the UK and the Republic of Ireland are ever-changing animals. Right now, the UK an Northern Ireland’s 1.8 million citizens are getting the benefits of free health care. Unfortunately, this doesn’t extend to the 4.8 million people living in the rest of Ireland, whose health care system is sort of… lacking.
That’s why in Ireland, health care jobs are more desirable than ever. One of these careers is that of a pharmacy assistant. Not only is getting a job like this well-paying and flexible, but it has a lot of added benefits to the Irish economy.
If you’ve ever wondered why Ireland hires so many more pharmacy assistants– or health care jobs in general– than their British neighbors, this article is for you.
1. Benefits of the Job
One of the most important things to understand when thinking about why so many pharmacy technicians are hired in Ireland is how many benefits the job has. After all, when people are looking to be hired, the first thing they look at after salary and benefits are perks.
The first and probably most important perk of a pharmacy assistant job is how flexible it is. Almost every job forces you to undergo training, and training to be a pharmacy assistant can be done in a lot of different ways. Because it’s possible to do training online or in facilities near your home, you can train basically wherever and whenever it’s convenient for you.
You also as a pharmacy assistant open the door to a lot of other professional opportunities. Working in a pharmacy is a great way to make connections with people in the medical field. This can make it easier later in life to get a career as a doctor or a nurse.
Pharmaceutical jobs are also very rewarding. You get to work with so many people of so many demographics, including the elderly and disabled. Helping out people who need it is a great way to feel rewarded by your job and achieve something great.
These are some reasons that Ireland hires a lot of pharmaceutical jobs. There are a lot of perks, so there’s a lot of demand.
But why does Ireland hire so many more than the UK?
2. Population and Work Force Size
A huge reason that Ireland hires so many more pharmacy assistants than Great Britain does is because of their respective economies. Though Brexit may change things, right now Ireland is in a much less economically stable place than the UK is.
Right now the unemployment rate in Great Britain is a mere 3.8%. This is the lowest the unemployment rate has been there since the 1970s, which means that not a lot of people are looking for jobs. Less demand, of course, leads to fewer people being hired in any sector.
In Ireland, on the other hand, unemployment is out of control. The overall unemployment rate is 5.3%, which is still a huge number of people despite the fact that it’s fallen a couple of percentage points from previous years.
A lot of the people impacted by this are young. Even if a 5.3% unemployment rate was tame (it’s not), the youth unemployment rate is at a whopping 12.2%. This means that people graduating college are unable to find jobs, and assistantships that require less training are more within reach than jobs as fully-fledged pharmacists.
The difference between 3.8% and 5.3% overall unemployment might not sound like a lot. But considering the size of the UK in contrast with Ireland, there’s a stark difference. There are a lot more people in the UK workforce than the Irish one, which means that its high unemployment rates impact more people.
Plus, the Irish economy takes more workers to stimulate and grow than the British one. Fewer people means that every worker counts a little more towards overall growth.
That’s a big reason more pharmacy assistants are hired in Ireland. These jobs require less training than other jobs with similar perks, and it’s important to hire more people when the demand for jobs is high.
3. Health Care Systems
The healthcare systems in the UK and Ireland are also vastly different.
In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) guarantees that everyone gets free healthcare. No one admitted to a hospital needs to pay up front and people can go to the doctor without any kind of payment. Medical workers are paid entirely through payroll taxes.
In Ireland, things are a little less straightforward. Even though there’s universal healthcare through their NHS, it’s universal in two different tiers. If people earn below £177, they’ll have money put on a card and be able to visit the doctor free of charge for under that amount.
If they make above the threshold, they’ll have to pay a small sum of money when they go to see a doctor, even if it isn’t an up-front payment. This money will be taken out of their wages, but it will only be at a 2% rate for the first 10,000 euros.
The difference in the funding between the UK and Irish health care systems might be a reason that pharmacy assistant jobs are much more common in Ireland vs. in the UK. Pharmacy visits in both nations are pretty inexpensive. Both over-the-counter and prescription drugs are pretty cheap through the NHS.
The difference lies in the way that people are paid. The people in the UK are entirely paid through tax dollars, so people might not want to be hired by pharmacies as much as they will be paid less.
On the other hand, Irish pharmacy workers receive higher payment, making a higher demand- and supply- for the job.
4. Demand for Specific Jobs
We’ve talked a lot here about supply and demand, and we’re going to talk about it a little more. In Ireland, jobs in the medical sector are one of the most in-demand. This is why so many people in pharmacy assistant jobs are hired.
The healthcare job in the Irish medical systems that people demand the most is the title general practitioner. This doesn’t sound like a pharmacy assistant’s work, but these laborers actually do fall under the umbrella of general practitioners!
These people are those who work at clinics and doctor’s office, both places that usually hire pharmacy assistants. They help with diagnostic care and getting people the drugs that they need to have a high quality of life.
Because these are such an in-demand job in Ireland, it’s only natural that more people will be hired in these positions.
5. Economic Growth
Another more wide-scale reason that Ireland probably hires more is that the pay given to Irish assistants promotes economic growth within the nation. The average rate of hourly pay in Ireland for pharmacy assistants is 10.30 euros. In the UK, these jobs only have an average pay rate of 7.53 pounds, which is about 8 euros.
Because of the pay rate as well as the population of the respective places, the money garnered by the pharmacy assistant workers in Ireland goes much further when funneled back into the economy.
This is important because this money lets the government lower the unemployment rate even further by putting it into job sectors. Ireland is a country that’s trying desperately to create more jobs and make it so the unemployment rate continues to go down.
It also benefits the health care system by funding the NHS. Because the health services are, in part, funded by taxpayer euros, this higher pay rate means that there is more money that taxpayers can funnel into the system.
In the UK, these jobs aren’t as highly paid. That means that they have a less overall economic impact. Of course, they won’t be as popular for this reason among others.
Become a Pharmacy Assistant
Pharmacy assistant jobs in Ireland have a lot of benefits, both personal and wide-scale. By getting one of these jobs, you won’t only be doing right by you and your family, but you’ll be helping people to get the care that they need to have a quality and happy life.
If you’re looking to forge a new career in Ireland, these assistantships might be right for you!
Now that you know why Ireland hires so many more pharmaceutical jobs that the UK and why these are great jobs to have, it’s time to look into a career in the Irish pharmaceutical sector! This is a great choice to make money and have a flexible and rewarding job.
Contact us today about pharmacy vacancies in Ireland using the button below.
