NZ's health workforce plan - overseas recruitment key
In 2023, the NZ government launched a new initiative - a ‘health workforce plan’ that looked to fill the hole of nearly 13,000 extra nurses and over 5000 doctors needed in the country in the next 10 years.
Overall the health system currently has about 8000 vacancies, and based on current population growth an extra 1600 workers will be needed a year out to 2032, There are currently about 250,000 people employed in the sector, including 90,000 for Te Whatu Ora/Health NZ and 160,000 elsewhere.
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said while the extent of some of the gaps was “confronting” they had to know where they were so they could address them. “This problem has been decades in the making. And we’ve heard from our health workforce, that they’re under pressure. So no, I’m not surprised.”
The plan brings together education and immigration settings to not only grow the workforce but reduce attrition, she said. Initiatives include “earn-as-you-learn” programmes, targeted rural programmes and funding for 50 new medical school places. It also included improved working conditions and support for healthcare workers, such as reintroducing free meals and a Health Workforce Wellbeing Hub, including an occupational health and wellbeing service.
“We want our workers to be better supported,” Verrall said.
The Health Workforce Plan can be read in full, here.
The data in the report shows the huge vacancy gaps in the health workforce, which includes:
4800 nurses
1050 midwives
1700 doctors (including GPs)
170 pharmacists
120 sonographers
200 anaesthetic technicians
220 dental/oral health practitioners
30 radiation therapists
30 clinical/cardiac physiologists
New Zealand currently has among the highest rates of foreign-trained medical staff in the OECD - it has the highest rate of foreign-trained nurses and the second-highest rate of foreign-trained doctors. While this declined during Covid, since the borders re-opened workforce shortages are largely being made up through international recruitment. Of the roughly 8000 new nurses registered in 2022, 6000 were from overseas.
The plan estimated these rates would need to continue for another two years to address current nursing shortages.
Approved funding is in place to enable 50 additional medical student places for the 2024 intake and 34,000 nurses, enrolled nurses and healthcare assistants had been awarded significant pay uplifts, increasing pay for most nurses by more than 14 per cent.
“We now have the roadmap to build on this to further retain, grow and recruit our health workers,” Verrall said.
“Today’s plan also signals bigger shifts needed over time to make our health workforce sustainable. Those are focused on reducing reliance on the global market, growing our own rural health teams and building a workforce representative of communities across New Zealand.”
NZ Skills In Demand are responding to the demand and are working directly with healthcare employers to fill their vacancies with overseas candidates. If you work in Healthcare and are interested, get in touch with NZSID today.