Migration of nurses from the Philippines: a study on the choice whether or not to work abroad of nursing students of the University of the Philippines

Abstract

Migration is a global crisis that is yet to unfold. Its effects might not be blatantly felt but in the long run, the entire population will experience its ravaging effects. In the Philippines, migration has begun since 19670 and became more popular as the years pass by. The country in fact is the second largest exporter of labor in the world, next to Mexico, and number one in exporting health workers to the United States. Migration is either pushed or pulled by economic, political and social factors. Subfactors to the decision to migrate include wage differentiation, better job opportunities, better working conditions, education, experiences of other people being good or bad, technology and governance. Migration and export of labor affects a nation, both host and receiving, in three interconnected ways: economic, political and social. Impacts like increased Gross National Product, economic stability, increased debt servicing, increased (receiving) or decreased (host) labor supply, brain gain (receiving) or brain drain (host), are just some. This paper will discuss the factors affecting migration in the perspective of the nursing students from the University of the Philippines Manila A.Y. 2008-2009.