Archive for July 23rd, 2010
Filipino nurses seeking US jobs fell by 1/3 in first half
MANILA, Philippines—The number of Filipino nurses seeking topractice their profession in America fell by one-third in the first semestercompared to a year ago, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) saidin a news release over the weekend.
TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera saidonly 5,553 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time from January toJune, down 2,719 or 33 percent from 8,272 in the same period of 2009.
The NCLEX refers to the licensure examination administered bythe US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc.
The number of Filipino nurses taking the NCLEX for the firsttime is a reliable indicator as to how many of them are trying to enter theprofession in the US, according to Herrera, former chairman of the Senatecommittee on labor, employment and human resources development.
Manila-based labor recruitment agencies previously reported thatmore Filipino nurses are now leaving for the United Kingdom than those going tothe US.
“Filipino nurses and other highly skilled professionalswill go to foreign labor markets where it is easier for them to enter and work,and where they will get the best reward in terms of pay and otherbenefits,” Herrera pointed out.
“Depending on their personal circumstances, professionalqualifications and the job offers they've received, some Filipino nurses findit easier to work in the America, while others prefer to be employed in the UK,Saudi Arabia or elsewhere,” Herrera said.
“But there is no question that in absolute terms, moreFilipino nurses are still seeking employment in the US than elsewhere. This isprimarily due to our strong cultural attachment to America,” Herrera said.
He said many Filipino nurses still favor America simply becausethey already have family members there ready to support them.
He said the Philippines is still America's biggest supplier offoreign nurses, followed by India, South Korea, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
“The two biggest suppliers of foreign nurses in the UK areactually India and Australia, which is not surprising since both are formerBritish territories. After them, the Philippines is now Britain's third biggestsupplier of foreign nurses,” Herrera said, citing statistics from the UK'sNursing and Midwifery Council.
A total of 15,382 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the firsttime in the whole of 2009, down 5,364 or 26 percent from 20,746 in 2008.
In 2007, a total of 21,499 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX forthe first time, up 6,328 or 42 percent from 15,171 in 2006. The 2006 figureswere up 65 percent or 5,990 compared to the 9,181 Filipino nurses that took theNCLEX for the first time in 2005.
All told, some 82,000 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for thefirst time over the last five years.
