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The International Migration of Health Professionals

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  • Grignon, Michel

    (McMaster University)

  • Owusu, Yaw

    (McMaster University)

  • Sweetman, Arthur

    (McMaster University)

Abstract

Health workforce shortages in developed countries are perceived to be central drivers of health professionals' international migration, one ramification being negative impacts on developing nations' healthcare delivery. After a descriptive international overview, selected economic issues are discussed for developed and developing countries. Health labour markets' unique characteristics imply great complexity in developed economies involving government intervention, licensure, regulation, and (quasi-)union activity. These features affect migrants' decisions, economic integration, and impacts on the receiving nations' health workforce and society. Developing countries sometimes educate citizens in expectation of emigration, while others pursue international treaties in attempts to manage migrant flows.

Suggested Citation

  • Grignon, Michel & Owusu, Yaw & Sweetman, Arthur, 2012. "The International Migration of Health Professionals," IZA Discussion Papers 6517, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6517
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    Cited by:

    1. Varga, Júlia, 2016. "Hova lettek az orvosok?. Az orvosok külföldre vándorlása és pályaelhagyása Magyarországon, 2003-2011 [Where have all the doctors gone?. Migration and attrition of physicians and dentists in Hungary," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(1), pages 1-26.
    2. repec:ilo:ilowps:485561 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Jansson, Olle, 2017. "Organized interests and foreign-educated professionals: The case of the associations for physicians and nurses in Sweden," Working Paper Series 2017:18, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    4. Botezat, Alina & Incaltarau, Cristian & Nijkamp, Peter, 2024. "Nurse migration: Long-run determinants and dynamics of flows in response to health and economic shocks," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    5. Zaiceva, A. & Zimmermann, K.F., 2016. "Migration and the Demographic Shift," Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, in: Piggott, John & Woodland, Alan (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 119-177, Elsevier.
    6. Hisaya Oda & Yuko Tsujita & Sebastian Irudaya Rajan, 2018. "An Analysis of Factors Influencing the International Migration of Indian Nurses," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 607-624, August.
    7. Foo, Jonathan S. & Storr, Michael & Maloney, Stephen, 2016. "Registration factors that limit international mobility of people holding physiotherapy qualifications: A systematic review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(6), pages 665-673.
    8. Christian Dustmann & Giovanni Facchini & Cora Signorotto, 2015. "Population, Migration, Ageing and Health: A Survey," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 1518, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    9. Anzelika Zaiceva, 2014. "The impact of aging on the scale of migration," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-99, November.
    10. Dambar Uprety, 2019. "Skilled migration and health outcomes in developing countries," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-14, March.
    11. Michael Clemens, 2015. "Global Skill Partnerships: a proposal for technical training in a mobile world," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-18, December.
    12. Ivy Lynn Bourgeault & Michel Grignon, 2013. "A Comparison of the Regulation of Health Professional Boundaries across OECD Countries," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 10(2), pages 199-223, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    health professionals; international medical graduates; migration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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