Rekrutierung aus Drittstaaten im Pflegebereich

Abstract

Nursing staff in Austria belong to the professional groups most affected by a shortage of skilled workers. This shortage has been repeatedly highlighted and discussed in the past. The causes are multifaceted and complex, including working conditions, work environment, educational criteria and frameworks, financial compensation, and the societal recognition of nursing. Demographic change and upcoming retirements will pose significant challenges for policymakers and healthcare organizations in maintaining adequate nursing care in Austria. Global labor migration, along with the associated emigration of qualified nursing and healthcare personnel (brain drain), represents a complex issue for many countries and institutions. Targeted international recruitment has been established in Austria as an approach to address the nursing shortage in the medium and long term. Given the complexity of the nursing shortage and the limited scope of this Master thesis, the focus is on the recruitment of nursing staff from third countries. To understand the relevance of the nursing shortage and demographic developments, relevant data are first presented. This is followed by an overview of the current significance of migration in Austria in relation to the demand for qualified nursing staff. Through a review of the literature, international and national strategy papers and guidelines on the recruitment of nursing staff from third countries are analyzed and related to the strategies of Austrian nursing and healthcare organizations. Building on this, the research question is derived. To answer the research question, a deductive, qualitative approach is applied. Selected healthcare organizations and providers are examined using problem-centered, semi-structured interviews. The aim of the analysis is to illustrate how individual Austrian nursing and healthcare organizations implement international and national guidelines. Categories and subcategories are coded and analyzed in reference to the guiding principles of the WHO Global Code of Practice and the Austrian Guidelines for Ethical International Recruitment of Health and Nursing Personnel. The results highlight extensive cooperation between nursing and healthcare organizations, international recruitment agencies, authorities, and funding institutions. Migrant healthcare professionals are supported through information dissemination and accompanying measures in accordance with the principles of the international guidelines. Recruitment from countries with fragile healthcare systems generally does not occur; one exception is an organization recruiting from Pakistan under comprehensive support programs and local collaborations. These findings are relevant both in the context of research on the recruitment of nursing staff from third countries in Austria and for the practical implementation of ethical recruitment guidelines.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Karin Schreiner (Supervisor) & Silvia Neumann-Ponesch (Supervisor)