Close to 15,000 nurses are participating, making it the biggest nurses strike the city has ever seen. Most union members voted last month to authorize the walkout. Anticipating the possibility of a strike,
New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency on Friday and urged hospital administrators and union leaders to reach a last-minute agreement. She warned that a strike “could jeopardize the lives of thousands of New Yorkers and patients”. “I’m strongly encouraging everyone to stay at the table, both sides, management and the nurses, until this is resolved,” Hochul said.
As in the 2023 labor dispute, the current conflict centers on a complex mix of grievances, rebuttals and hospital-specific concerns. Staffing remains a key source of contention, with nurses arguing that well-funded hospitals are unwilling to commit to standards that ensure safe and manageable workloads....
and the socialist Mayor is backing the nurses.
Here in the Philippines, people study nursing so they can get a job overseas. If they can't pass the test to work in the US UK or Australia, they can still work in Saudi or the middle east, or get a job working as a caregiver, as our relatives do in the UK>
The nursing shortage is constant, and with the aging population and with the increase in paperwork required in hospitals, you can see that this is a good profession.
But does the influx of overseas nurses depress wages for US Nurses? well, it's more complicated than that. For example, not just requiring nurses doing paper work instead of caring for patients leads many nurses to quit, but a similar emphasis on adminstration and paperwork leads to more jobs in administration in hospitals, which means using money that would be better spent on nurses.
but is this partly due to cheap imported nurses enabling hospitals to hire cheaper outsiders? (if you read the Guardian article you note they will staff using temporary nurses: There are entire companies that supply nurses and doctors to where they are needed but it will cost the hospitals more money... so the hospital management is willing to spend money for expensive temps, but not for regular nurses?)
This 2012 article examines the possibility of imported nurses lowering nurse salaries......
however,Grok says it can but it is more complicated than that.
The impact of imported (foreign-educated or internationally recruited) nurses on salaries for nurses in the USA is a debated topic, with mixed evidence from academic studies, labor market analyses, and policy discussions.
Key Evidence from StudiesResearch generally shows that large-scale immigration of foreign-trained registered nurses (RNs) increases the overall supply of nurses in certain areas (e.g., states or cities with high concentrations). This can lead to some downward pressure on wages or earnings, but the effects are often limited, inconsistent, or offset by other factors like persistent nurse shortages, institutional wage rigidity in healthcare (e.g., union contracts, hospital budgeting), and strong demand driven by an aging population.
Several studies find evidence of modest negative effects:
Immigration increases nurse supply and is associated with a decrease in annual earnings for U.S.-trained nurses (though hourly wages show less consistent or no decline). For example, a 10% increase in immigrant supply might reduce salaries by roughly 1–4% in some models. This is often linked to foreign nurses filling gaps in less desirable shifts, locations, or facilities, which can indirectly affect overall compensation packages.
Other research finds little to no significant negative impact on wages:Hiring foreign-educated nurses does not lower U.S.-educated nurses' wages or lead to widespread unemployment for domestic nurses.
Despite large inflows (e.g., tripling of foreign nurses passing licensing exams in some periods), observed wages for native nurses show little decline, possibly due to market power in healthcare and employers' reluctance to cut pay amid ongoing shortages. Foreign nurses often work longer hours or in specific roles, and their presence may not directly compete in the same segments as many domestic nurses.
Overall, the consensus from peer-reviewed economic analyses is that any wage suppression is small and not universal, especially compared to the broader benefits of addressing shortages (e.g., maintaining patient care quality and avoiding even worse staffing crises).
Periods of heavy recruitment (like post-2000 or during/after the COVID-19 pandemic) coincide with wage growth in many cases due to high demand.
Contextual Factors
Prevailing wage rules in immigration programs (e.g., EB-3 for nurses, which is common for permanent residency) require employers to pay foreign nurses at or above the prevailing wage for the role and location, with protections to avoid adversely affecting U.S. workers' wages and conditions.
Nurse unions (e.g., National Nurses United) often express concerns about foreign recruitment potentially undermining domestic wages, working conditions, or incentives for better pay/staffing. They advocate for stronger domestic training and retention over heavy reliance on imports.
The U.S. has faced chronic nurse shortages (projected to worsen with retirements and aging populations), which drive recruitment from countries like the Philippines, India, and Nigeria. This demand often pushes wages upward overall, counteracting potential suppression.
Bottom Line
Imported nurses do not dramatically lower salaries for U.S. nurses on a widespread basis, according to most evidence. At most, they exert modest downward pressure in specific markets or on annual earnings (e.g., through more supply in high-immigration areas), but this is frequently outweighed by shortage-driven wage increases, regulatory protections, and the need to fill critical gaps.If you're concerned about this in a specific region, state-level data or union perspectives might provide more tailored insights. The bigger picture is that foreign nurses help sustain the healthcare system amid ongoing domestic supply challenges.
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