Growing interest among India's nurses in seeking work in Singapore

Key factors are better pay, English-language environment and advanced healthcare set-up

- Nirmala Ganapathy and Debarshi Dasgupta

Ms Carolyne Marak’s family has faced financial difficulties since the death of her father four years ago. But a nursing job in Singapore may help change things for the family of four.

The 29-year-old, who has six years of nursing experience, passed the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB) licence exam in April. She has a job offer from a nursing home in Singapore and is waiting for registration from the board. She will then apply for a work permit, according to her recruitment agency, Ajith Enterprises.

Singapore was her top choice when she attended a Meghalaya state government job fair for nurses in 2023, at which international recruiters from other countries such as Japan and Britain were also present.

“I chose Singapore because I heard the place is safe and the weather is good. There is also no need to learn another language,” said Ms Marak, who has been offered seven times the salary she currently earns at a private hospital in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, a state in north-eastern India.

“My family is very excited. Let’s see how much I can save,” she added.

She was among 13 nurses recruited for Singapore at the job fair, where Singapore was a top preferred destination for those seeking work abroad, said Mr Ramkumar S, executive director of Meghalaya State Skill Development Society.

“The response was overwhelming. We had about 1,500 nurses who turned up, and many of them actually came with very little prior information. But they wanted to go to Australia and Singapore, because they speak English there,” he said.

Twenty-seven nurses also got job offers from Japan, which has been wooing Indian nurses.

Nurses such as Ms Marak are in demand these days as international recruiters, including from Singapore, look to India to fill their vacancies, even as India suffers from a shortage of nurses.