Number of New Nurses from Philippines Hired in Local Healthcare System Annually over Past 10 Years

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Health (a) over the past 10 years, how many new nurses from the Philippines have been hired annually in our local healthcare system; and (b) whether this number has significantly reduced since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: On average over the past 10 years, the number of Filipino nurses registered with the Singapore Nursing Board increased by about 400 annually. More join the nursing workforce when there are new hospital openings.

Over the past five years, the total number of Filipino nurses has remained stable, including the period since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and there was only a slight decrease in the number of Filipino nurses between the end of 2019 and the end of 2020.