Human Resource Management Practices and Job Satisfaction Trends Among Pharmacy Professionals in India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are increasingly recognised as determinants of professional satisfaction and workforce stability within healthcare education systems. Despite India's pharmacy sector ranking among the world's largest by production volume, systematic empirical evidence linking HRM dimensions to satisfaction outcomes across multiple pharmacy stakeholder groups remains sparse. This study addresses the gap through a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional survey (N = 265) comprising three cohorts: practicing pharmacists (n = 16), pharmacy teaching faculty (n = 66), and pharmacy students (n = 183) drawn from government, private, and deemed-university institutions across India. Six HRM dimensions—recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and benefits, work environment, and management support—were operationalised via validated Likert-scale instruments. Statistical analyses encompassed Pearson product-moment correlation, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, and chi-square tests of independence. Results indicate that HRM practices and satisfaction are strongly and significantly correlated across all cohorts (r = 0.681–0.919; p ≤ 0.004). OLS regression models explain 46.4%, 84.4%, and 76.6% of variance in satisfaction for professionals, teachers, and students, respectively. Compensation and benefits emerged as the most deficient HRM dimension (M = 2.73–2.95), while recruitment and selection was perceived most positively (M = 3.52–3.77). Both research hypotheses are accepted at the 1% significance level. Findings yield actionable recommendations for regulatory bodies, institutional administrators, and policy-makers seeking to strengthen the pharmacy workforce in India.