Pharmacy Technician
OFO Code: 321301
Last checked 3 October 2026
1. Occupation identity
- OFO code
- 321301
- Occupation
- Pharmacy Technician
- Classification
- OFO 2021
- Major group
- TECHNICIANS AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
- Unit group
- 3213 · Pharmaceutical Technicians and Assistants
Official description
Pharmaceutical technicians and assistants perform a variety of tasks associated with dispensing medicinal products under the guidance of a pharmacist or other health professional.
More official OFO detail
Specialisations: Dispensary Technician, Pharmacist Technician, Pharmacy Technician - Inactive, Pharmacy Dispensing Technician, Pharmaceutical Assistant, Pharmaceutical Technician
- Maintaining proper storage and security conditions for drugs
- 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
- Filling and labelling containers with prescribed medications
- Assisting clients by answering questions, locating items or referring them to a pharmacist for medication information
- Preparing medications and other pharmaceutical compounds under the guidance of a pharmacist or other health professional
- Cleaning and preparing equipment and containers used to prepare and dispense medicines and pharmaceutical compounds
- Ordering, labelling, and counting stock of medications, chemicals, and supplies, and entering inventory data into records-keeping systems
- Pricing and filing prescriptions that have been filled and establish and maintaining patient records, including lists of medications taken by individual patients
- Receiving prescriptions or refill requests from health professionals and verifying that information is complete and accurate according to medical records keeping standards
2. Demand status
Demand evidence not yet linked
This is an official OFO 2021 occupation. Demand status is separate evidence and is not inferred from inclusion in the OFO.
A national demand signal is not a promise of a vacancy in your town.
3. Salary evidence
No sourced salary record has been ingested for this OFO code yet.
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5. Qualification
Qualification evidence pending.
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7. Industry, sector and provincial context
National occupation classification. Industry and provincial context are shown only where a separate official source supports the link.
No source-backed modern OFO↔SIC 7 industry link has been ingested for this occupation yet. PathLens does not infer one from the job title.
Browse the official South African industry classification →8. Next steps — official links
9. Decision tools
10. Sources for this page
- DHET Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO 2021) · Planned
- DHET Occupations in High Demand · Planned
- Critical Skills List · Planned
- QCTO qualifications and occupational certificates · Planned
- Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey · Planned
- SETA Sector Skills Plans / hard-to-fill vacancy tables · Planned