The Nurse Labor and Education Markets in the English-Speaking CARICOM: Issues and Options for Reform

1. The present report concludes the second phase of the cooperation between CARICOM countries and the World Bank to build skills for a competitive regional economy. It focuses on the nurse labor and education markets of the English-speaking CARICOM. The topic was suggested by Ministers of Health concerned with chronic staffing shortages in local health facilities and anecdotal evidence of high migratory outflows. The chronic staff shortages are likely to hamper the quality and efficiency of health services, both of which are critical factors in attracting international businesses and retirement locales. The rationale for focusing on nurses was that they compose the largest group of health care professionals in the ES CARICOM and play a critical role in strengthening health services in the face of the demographic and epidemiological transition in the region. Moreover, major achievements in improving and harmonizing curricula, degrees, and licensing procedures among the English-speaking countries of CARICOM facilitate the international competition for this globally scarce human resource.