The Philippine Embassy in Wellington has issued an advisory to its nurses who are yet to travel here, cautioning them not to do so unless they have a solid job offer.
In a statement issued on Friday it said Filipino nurses looking for work here need to issue “great caution” as there is a lack of employment opportunities.
“Due to the current lack of opportunities internationally qualified nurses on visitors visas have had no choice but to leave the country,” it read.
It’s the second country this month to issue a warning for its workers not to come here, as foreign nurses continue to struggle to find work. The Indian High Commission earlier this month warned its nurses not to quit their jobs and come here without guaranteed replacement jobs, and not to pay agents promising “guaranteed jobs”.
Thousands of internationally qualified nurses have arrived in the last 18 months, and while they are a significant part of the nursing workforce, tighter budgets and fewer vacancies has seen many struggle to get work.
Out of desperation, at least one has resorted to working illegally for cash to make ends meet.
The woman, who has not been named due to the risk it would pose, told 1News she had little other choice. She has spent almost half of her savings that she’d made over the last decade and still has no job.
“It’s really uncomfortable. It scares me every day. You want to be confident facing people, but this right now, I am not.”
She came here, enticed by the offer of the straight to residency pathway nurses are eligible for as part of the Immigration Green List – hoping it would secure her and her 14-year-old child’s future.
Instead she’s facing the prospect of having to go to Australia or another country that will take her. She can’t go back to the job she left as she relinquished her visa rights.
“At the beginning I was thinking it would be worth it, but as I’m seeing right now what is going on, I’m regretting coming here.”
Philippine Ambassador Kira Azucena said it’s clear there are few opportunities right now for Filipino nurses.
She’s met with a number of Filipino nurses who’ve reported how difficult it’s been for them, trying to find work and an employer that’s willing to sponsor them.
“On the one hand, there are policies in place in New Zealand where they send the message that the skills of our nurses are required… but the reality is because of many factors – economy, government policies – there is no employment at present.”
Azucena is particularly concerned training providers are able to continue to bring in foreign nurses who pay around $10,000 for a course that’s sole purpose is to get them ready for work in New Zealand – but there’s no guarantee.
“That gap is the crux of the problem,” she said.
The ambassador said she continues to work with New Zealand officials on a more permanent solution to minimise the risk that other nurses are placed into a similar situation.
But in the meantime, she wants to issue a caution to those yet to fly over.
“Their experience tells us that there might be other Filipino nurses who are still in the Philippines who want to take their chances in coming to New Zealand as well,” she said.
“And we want to be able to advise these Filipino nurses to really verify first if indeed there are opportunities here before they spend money to travel to New Zealand.”
