SIR40216 is the nationally recognised Certificate IV behind pharmacy technician work. It is current on the national register, with no earlier version recorded. About 447 pharmacy technician jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 16% on a year earlier.
Several independent signals line up behind this qualification. Specifically: its occupations are rated in shortage in parts of the country, employment in its occupations is projected to grow through 2035 and national enrolments are rising. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
Employers are advertising fewer of these roles than a year ago. Across Pharmacy Technician, about 447 jobs were advertised online in June 2026 (down 16% on a year earlier). Roughly 5,690 openings were advertised over the last 12 months, while 320 people enrolled in the qualification nationally in 2024. Enrolment counts people in training, not completions, so the two figures describe the pipeline and the market, not a job guarantee.
The official shortage list rates some of these occupations as in shortage in parts of the country. In the 2025 Occupation Shortage List assessment, Pharmacy Technician is rated in shortage in regional areas; Anaesthetic Technician, Cardiac Technician, Medical Laboratory Technician, Operating Theatre Technician, Pathology Collector / Phlebotomist, Respiratory Technician and Medical Technicians nec are rated not in shortage.
Employment in these occupations is projected to grow. Government projections put them at 41,900 workers in May 2025, 45,300 by May 2030 (up 8%) and 49,200 by May 2035 (up 17.4%).
Enrolments in this qualification are growing. National enrolments rose from 280 in 2023, to 320 in 2024 (up 14.3%).
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for SIR40216 is being verified against official program lists.
Eligibility and student contributions vary by program and provider. The official state listing is the source of truth. In a subsidised place the government pays most of the tuition and you pay a co-contribution set by the program and provider.
No Get Course partner currently lists this qualification. Check the national register for organisations approved to deliver it, and remember that approval to deliver is a regulatory fact, not a recommendation. You can browse live courses from our partners and enquire today.
Browse coursesGet Course maps SIR40216 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3112) so the mapping can be checked. Job advertisement counts come from the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index and count online ads, not vacancies filled. Enrolment counts come from NCVER Total VET Activity and count people in training, not completions. Outcome benchmarks marked “typical” are medians computed by Get Course across all qualifications at the same level in the same NCVER collection; they are derived figures, not official NCVER benchmarks. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: NCVER Total VET Activity 2024 collection; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register training.gov.au, synced 26 August 2026; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; register synced 29 Aug 2026. Page last updated 30 Aug 2026.