Retail pharmacy company Walgreens is offering bonuses up to $75,000 to recruit pharmacists amid a workforce shortage, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 11.
Job postings in every state include a bonus, the Journal found, with most bonuses being between $30,000 and $50,000. The job postings also specify a minimum tenure to be eligible for the bonus, usually about a year.
About 3,000 of its stores are working on reduced pharmacy hours due to pharmacist shortages, despite less demand for COVID-19 vaccines and testing, a Walgreens spokesperson told the Journal.
The workforce issue, which spans across the nation, has caused prescription sales to fall. More than three out of every four pharmacies are struggling with retaining staff, according to a recent survey published by the National Community Pharmacists Association.
The bonuses are "one of many steps to address pharmacy staffing in some areas," the spokesperson told the Journal.