New Zealand (Kiwis) Prefer Filipino Nurses

The shortage for nurses and other healthcare professionals is a worldwide phenomenon. At the height of the issue surrounding the retake order of the US government for all June 2006 Nursing Board exam passers, Filipino nurses who want to work abroad still has lots of opportunities to consider.

Worldwide, the demand for nurses continues to increase and this fact is true not only in America but in other promising destinations as well. Aside from USA, Filipino nurses can opt to work in New Zealand which currently has 1,000 job openings for nurses.

Zosimo Cabulisan, president and chief operating officer of Reliable Recruitment Corp., said, New Zealand is the right place for you.” The POEA-licensed recruitment agency has deployed 200 newly licensed nurses at Wellington.

Likewise, senior consultant and general manager of Alta Solutions, Alberto Tuason, said New Zealand locals (called Kiwis) prefer Filipinos over other foreign nurses because our nurses are naturally compassionate, helpful and kind. Furthermore, Filipino nurses are hardworking and are willing to work even beyond the allotted working hours.

Alta Solutions is a recruitment and consulting specialist that is based in Wellinton, New Zealand. The agency has interviewed applicants in Baguio City for possible deployment in the New Zealand health facilities.

According to Tuason, some Filipino nurses choose to be deployed in New Zealand because they see this as a way for later migration to other destinations such as America, United Kingdom, and Australia. However, most of them choose to stay in New Zealand because of the favorable working conditions and reasonable wages.

According to Cabulisan, “Nurses in New Zealand tend to receive higher take-home pay compared to their counterparts in the UK because of the relatively low withholding tax deductions of only 24 percent, as against 40 percent in the UK.

Tuason added that an estimate of 50,000 Filipinos are now in New Zealand. The country is industrial-agricultural and tourism-oriented. It is about as big as the Philippines with less than 5 million residents.

by: Carmela Bognotia (ofwguide)