Study 2025-01-HSR International recruitment of healthcare professionals

Planned study - We have decided to focus this study specifically on nurses and nursing assistants, who are currently the main group of healthcare professionals where labour migration is already taking place. Indeed, the sector is facing significant labour shortages in this occupational group and several Belgian healthcare organisations have already deployed foreign healthcare workers. Another important consideration is that foreign nurses’ qualifications are not always recognised in Belgium, which often forces them to work as healthcare assistants.

As the recruitment of non-EU nurses is expected to increase in the future, a framework will be needed both to facilitate the labour migration process and to ensure ethical recruitment, with no negative impact on the quality of care or the well-being of staff. The development of this framework will rely on four parts:

• International comparison: analysis of examples from other countries with a tradition of non-European labour migration, in order to identify the preconditions and attention points to be taken into account in Belgium.
• Literature review on the results of the deployment of foreign nurses/nursing assistants (e.g. quality of care, interprofessional collaboration, etc.).
• Qualitative research with foreign nurses/nursing assistants and Belgian healthcare providers regarding experiences and areas for improvement.
• Literature analysis and interviews with (inter)national experts to identify the factors contributing to the retention of foreign nurses/care assistants.