Dear admin, please grant me permission as I’m keen to gather diverse perspectives on this matter.
Greetings to all, I am a fresh graduate nurse and i’m pretty shocked at how low the pay is for dip/degree nurses. Many of my peers start with a salary of $3350 without honors; with merit, it rises to $3.4k-$3.6k. Honors students can earn around $4k, while diploma holders begin at approximately $2.5k. After CPF deductions, the take-home pay for degree holders without honours might be just above 2k.
I’m unsure why the government is actively encouraging locals to join the nursing workforce when, based on last year’s employment survey, the pay remains among the lowest in the university.
Given the demanding nature of nursing, coupled with the aging population, one might argue that the starting pay should be significantly higher to retain local nurses.
The government has sought assistance from other countries, including India and the Philippines, to address the nursing manpower shortage but we all know they would leave after their 6 years bond & employing foreigners are just short term solutions.
During COVID, 20% of Philippine nurses left Singapore, and it’s widely known that foreigners often view Singapore as a stepping stone to later work in Australia. Unfortunately, nursing lacks appeal among locals due to low pay and persistent discrimination and stereotypes, with the profession still being labeled a “dirty job” and I feel that there’s no way we can change the mindset of the generation nowadays as it has been fixated like this for so many years..