Global demand for nurses falling, says PNA

Local demand for nurses has been stagnant as the need for their services consistently fall in the global labor market, the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) said Tuesday.

For the last two years, there has been no increase in the domestic demand while global demand for licensed nurses has been consistently decreasing since 2004, PNA data shows.

PNA national president Dr. Leah Primitiva Samaco-Paquiz attributed the current trend to policy changes in labor-importing countries and the “oversupply” of nurses amid deteriorating quality of graduates.

Paquiz cited visa retrogression in the United States as the United Kingdom began shifting its preference for local health workers.

The Philippine domestic market for nurses, meanwhile, is now “oversaturated” allowing employers to be “highly selective” in hiring healthcare providers, she said.(By Katherine Evangelista; INQ.net)