The rise and decline of skilled nurses’ migration to Ireland

In 2000, a severe shortage of nurses in Ireland resulted in the Irish State embarking on an unprecedented recruitment of nurses from around the world. The Philippines, having had a good reputation for producing top-notch nurses, was among the countries targeted for recruitment drives. Between 2000 and 2001, Ireland recruited over 3,500 Filipino nurses, the largest among non-EEA nationals, but this figure subsequently declined as a result of dynamic immigration and recruitment policies, international competition for nurses, and the global recession that befell Ireland. By 2004, Indian nationals had overtaken Filipinos among new nurse registrants in the Nursing Division Register, and have since become the majority of non-EEA nursing professionals in Ireland. This study examines the causes and consequences of the rise and decline of nurse recruitment in Ireland at the height of the Celtic Tiger era until the outset of the global recession using statistics from government agencies in the Philippines and Ireland, statistics from IELTS, review of immigration and recruitment policies, and in-depth interviews of nurses, recruiters, and other key informants.