The Labor Supply of Full-Time and Part-Time Pharmacists in the U.S.

The U.S. pharmacist workforce has undergone significant growth and demographic changes, particularly increased female participation and part-time employment. However, limited evidence exists on how labor supply behavior varies by gender and employment status. This study used a nationally representative sample of 12,064 pharmacists from the 2019-2022 American Community Survey (ACS) to examine heterogeneity in labor supply decisions. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models were estimated separately by employment status (full-time versus part-time) and gender. The dependent variable was the number of hours worked. Independent variables included wage rate, age, marital status, number of children, and race/ethnicity. Findings showed that women were more than twice as likely to work part-time as men and minority pharmacists were largely underrepresented in the study sample relative to nonminority pharmacists. Gender gaps in wages, hours worked, and demographic and family characteristics also differed markedly between full-time and part-time pharmacists. Finally, findings lent support to the contention than women are more likely to work fewer hours than men as they are expected to spend more hours at home raising children. Understanding how individual characteristics shape pharmacists' labor supply, and how these relationships differ by gender and employment status, is essential for workforce planning and healthcare human resources policy.