Nurse Migration and Global Labor Markets

Nurse migration has become a central concern in global health policy and labour economics, driven by demographic change, uneven economic development and persistent workforce shortages in many high-income settings. Origin countries often experience a loss of trained personnel as nurses seek higher wages, improved working conditions and professional development abroad. Destination countries, by contrast, alleviate domestic staffing deficits but may become dependent on foreign-trained professionals, raising questions of sustainability and equity. The movement of nursing staff is shaped by bilateral agreements, recruitment agencies and international regulatory frameworks, all of which influence recruitment practices, credential recognition and ethics in labour transfer. Remittances sent by migrant nurses support households and public services in source regions, yet long-term migration can exacerbate disparities in health coverage and training capacity. Emerging forms of circular migration seek to balance individual career progression with knowledge exchange, encouraging temporary return and skill repatriation. Gender norms often intersect with migration trajectories, as nursing remains a female-dominated profession in which gendered expectations affect both opportunities and experiences abroad. Policymakers and health planners now explore integrated strategies—from targeted education curricula to multilayered partnerships—to manage flows of nursing talent, mitigate adverse effects of brain drain and foster sustainable global labour markets. The practical challenge lies in harmonising workforce supply with ethical recruitment while advancing universal health coverage and professional equity worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Nurse Migration and Global Labor Markets publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nurse migration and global labor markets across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Brain drain: The emigration of highly skilled professionals from their home country, leading to a depletion of local expertise and capacity.

Circular migration: The temporary and repetitive movement of professionals between home and host countries, often aimed at skill development and knowledge exchange.

Global Skill Partnerships: Bilateral agreements linking education and training in origin countries to labour market needs in destination countries, designed to balance development objectives and migration flows.

Source country: A nation from which health workers emigrate, often in search of better remuneration or working conditions abroad.

References

1. Hiding in plain sight: the absence of consideration of the gendered dimensions in ‘source’ country perspectives on health worker migration. Human Resources for Health (2021).
2. Global Skill Partnerships: a proposal for technical training in a mobile world. IZA Journal of Labor Policy (2015).
3. Filipino Migrant and Returnee Nurses Resisting and Adapting to the Pressures of Becoming “Ideal Migrants”. Journal of International Migration and Integration (2025).
4. The demands on nursing curriculum flexibility towards the need of global workforce: A systematic review. Journal of Holistic Nursing Science (2021).
5. The role played by recruitment agencies in the emigration of South African nurses. Health SA Gesondheid (2005).
6. Incentivizing an exodus: The implications of recruiting nurses from low-middle income countries to high-income countries. PLOS Global Public Health (2023).