Nurses' workplace and newly graduated nurses affiliation with working life

Population projections show that the proportion of elderly people is steadily growing. New treatment methods and higher life expectancy will increase the demand for health care professionals, especially nurses. Appropriate staffing is a prerequisite for a well-functioning health service. Therefore, monitoring the changes in number and composition of health personnel is a matter of importance.

The first part of the analysis uses cross-sectional data of employed nurses to describe the labour market situation among all employed nurses in Norway in 2016. In the second part, the goal is to reveal trends that can provide a better understanding of the current employment situation. We use data on graduates from 2005, 2009 and 2013, and study their employment status in the years after graduation.

The report shows 111 036 nurses were employed in Norway in 2016. 85 per cent of them worked in the health care service, while 15 per cent were employed d in other industries such as the educational sector. In the health care service, most nurses worked in hospitals or other part of specialist health service. Two thirds worked full time, while one third e had supplementary education.

In 2005 there were 3 646 newly graduated nurses in Norway. Among those employed in 2016, 88 per cent worked in the health care service and 12 per cent worked in other industries. Overall, one out of five did not work in the health care service in 2016. 70 per cent worked full time, and 38 per cent had supplementary education.

A comparison of the employment situation of nurses graduated in 2005, 2009 and 2013 three years after graduation, shows an increase in the proportion working in the health care service.