Underemployment numbers greet nursing board passers

Source: gmanews.tv

The 37,513 Filipinos who passed the nursing board exam will take their oath at a time when at least 287,000 previous nursing board passers remain underemployed, based on data from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC).

The number of board passers, announced on Saturday, forms 13 percent of the number of currently underemployed nurses.

The International Labor Organization defines the underemployed as those who have a job that does not necessarily suit their qualifications, among other things. A number of nursing graduates end up in call center jobs, for example, said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

The Department of Labor and Employment has long warned of an oversupply of nurses in the Philippines, noting that the demand for such professionals has steadily declined through the years.

This oversupply has forced nurses to work as volunteer nurses for free – with the requirement to pay so-called “training fees" to boot.

Criminal neglect

To address the underemployment of nurses, at least two lawmakers have suggested reforms on the part of the government.

Last week, Sen. Franklin Drilon said the underemployment problem, at first glance, shows a “mismatch between the college graduates produced by our educational system and the need of industry.

“But upon a closer analysis," Drilon said, “it would appear that there is almost a criminal neglect."

Drilon was referring to a supposed staffing problem when the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) disallowed the hiring of about 4,000 administrative and technical staff at the Department of Health (DOH).

The number represents 10.7 percent of the new nurses and 1.4 percent of the underemployed.

“Right now, in all government hospitals, you will see a lack of staff. The problem, it turns out, is that the DBM would not allow filling up of positions in the DOH," the senator said.

“I am asking the DBM that for the sake of our people, we cannot continue with this practice. This is something like a bureaucratic foul-up. I would like to see this being resolved in 30 to 60 days," Drilon said.

DBM representative Artemio Martinez admitted that a freeze hiring policy is in place for administrative positions in the DOH, but did not give a reason for such a policy.

More jobs in PHL

Another lawmaker, LPG Marketers Association party-list Rep. Arnel Ty, is proposing a special local jobs plan for the growing number of unemployed Filipino nurses.

In particular, Ty filed a bill that seeks to implement a special program for the employment of nurses in urban and rural services, hoping to mobilize a total of 10,000 practitioners yearly.

“We can no longer count on the US labor market for jobs," Ty said. The solon noted that the United States, by itself, has been generating a large number of nurses.

US colleges alone have produced a total of 167,597 nursing graduates in 2010 alone, according to Ty. This number represents more than four times the number of new Philippine nursing board passers, and over twice the number of original board examinees.

In Australia, on the other hand, some 20,000 potential job openings for the elderly care sector may await Filipinos wishing to work as healthcare providers abroad.

Shift to other courses

Meanwhile, the DOH has advised students interested in nursing to take up other health sciences courses instead, according to a report on GMA News TV’s “State of the Nation" Newscast.

Based on data from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, other in-demand jobs include those in agri-business, business process outsourcing, creative industries such as animation, construction, and maritime industries.