Claims that nursing graduates face immediate unemployment are unfounded, the Health Bureau said on Sunday, pointing out that the Hospital Authority still has around 3,000 nursing vacancies.
Speaking on a radio programme, officials rejected allegations that non-locally trained nurses were taking jobs from local graduates, describing such claims as wrong and irresponsible.
Official data showed that about 4,083 nursing students graduated last year, but only around 2,500 applied for jobs at the authority, meaning nearly 40 percent chose not to enter the public healthcare system.
Among roughly 2,100 graduates who applied for registered nurse positions, the authority hired 99 percent, leaving only about 20 applicants unhired due to interview performance and other factors.
The bureau urged the public to rely on factual figures rather than slogans, noting that nursing graduates have diverse career paths, including private hospitals, clinics, residential care homes, and private nursing. Many elderly care facilities are also struggling to recruit nurses.
Addressing concerns over non-locally trained nurses, the bureau described accusations of job stealing as a scapegoating mindset. Of more than 30,000 nurses employed by the authority, only 55 are non-locally trained under limited registration, with nearly half on short-term exchanges and fewer than 30 hired permanently.
The bureau added that as an open and modern city, Hong Kong should not adopt a protectionist mindset, emphasizing that imported nurses play a supplementary role.
While acknowledging that graduates have the freedom to choose private sector jobs for higher pay and less pressure, officials expressed hope that the profession would prioritize the public interest, encouraging more graduates to join the public healthcare front line to meet demands from an ageing population.
