Abstract
There is currently a major shortage of working nurses in Australia. It is expected that this shortage will worsen in the immediate future (AIHW, 2003; Buchanan and Considine, 2002; DEST, 2002). A recent government report indicates a shortfall of 31,000 nurses by 2006 (DEST, 2002). This skilled labour shortage is not confined to Australia and is an international problem (Loquist, 2002). Countries such as the UK and the USA have experienced long-term problems in nursing labour supply and have relied extensively on immigration to supplement local labour shortages (Davis and Nichols, 2002).
We would like to thank the nurses who participated in our study. We would also like to acknowledge the assistance and support of our colleagues, Andrea Fox, Chris Houghton, David Peetz and Bob Russell. This project was funded bv an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant.
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Townsend, K., Allan, C. (2005). Flexibility at a Cost: Responding to a Skilled Labour Shortage. In: Stanton, P., Willis, E., Young, S. (eds) Workplace Reform in the Healthcare Industry. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230596009_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230596009_10
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