There is a nursing shortage in healthcare worldwide. At the beginning of 2020, there was a shortage of six million nurses around the world. By 2030, another four million workers will retire due to age. According to a report by the World Confederation of Nurses (ICN), 20 percent of all countries surveyed are short of nurses, as many suffer from stress (burnout), excessive workloads, and difficult conditions and prerequisites in the hospitals where they work. As a result, many are forced to give up their profession.
In Germany, the current situation is somewhat different. While a decline in nursing staff was observed in the second quarter of 2020 in the areas of „healthcare“ and „homes and social services,“ the number of employees went up in the summer. This was also due to the fact that, for example, nursing staff from rehabilitation facilities were temporarily called upon to serve in hospitals because the facilities were closed due to the pandemic.
However, a trend reversal was also observed in the fall and winter, as there was an increase of around 47,000 employees in the two categories mentioned above. Germany, like a fifth of other countries, therefore did not complain of employment losses, as measures are also being taken to increase the nursing workforce, such as intensifying training and recruiting back staff who have left, as well as attracting skilled workers from abroad.
Nevertheless, the situation remains tense in this country as well. Therefore, we must
the exodus and loss of employment must be halted by incentives that make the nursing profession more attractive, and new personnel must also be recruited. This includes, among other things, better working conditions, more flexible working hours, and rising wages, as well as models that increase net salaries through partial tax exemption.
Source: KMA Online