Workforce Imbalance
Of the ~950,000 licensed nurses in the Philippines, over 440,000 are not working in healthcare—often choosing higher-paying roles in other industries like BPOs.

Migration Realities
Less than 5,500 nurses legally leave the Philippines each year to work abroad—far fewer than commonly believed. Many nurses enter the profession with the intent to work internationally and support their families through remittances.

Compensation Constraints
Public and private hospitals face structural challenges in raising wages. Competing with non-clinical roles requires more than pay—it requires partnership, training pathways, and ethical mobility options.

Patient Outcomes Are At Risk
Each additional patient assigned to a nurse increases the risk of death by 7%. Staffing shortages now directly threaten patient safety and health system resilience.

A Call for Balanced SolutionsThe paper outlines recommendations to expand the nurse pipeline through public-private partnerships, school engagement, and policy coordination.