The global bases of inequality regimes: the case of international nurse recruitment

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to critically examine Joan Acker's notion of inequality regimes by applying it to the case of global nurse care chains (GNCCs). The article examines the organisational practices of GNCCs and how inequality barriers are practiced and legitimised.Design/methodology/approachThe article is based on qualitative interviews with different institutional representatives involved in Filipino nurse recruitment to Finland (N = 25), recruited Filipino nurses (N = 20) and Filipino nurses working in Finland (N = 9).FindingsThe article demonstrates different organisational practices through which inequality regimes are created and sustained. These include the racialised construction of the Philippines as situated in the global periphery and functioning as a resource of labour for the global core and the Filipino nurse as innately more caring. The inequalities are legitimised through deskilling in which the nurses' command of Finnish language is a key form of justification. Filipino nurses' precarious legal status renders them compliant workers from an organisational perspective and vulnerable workers who fear to claim their rights as workers.Practical implicationsBy discussing barriers to inequality, the article illustrates how inequalities in diverse workplaces and the undervaluing of nurse work could be addressed.Originality/valueThe article uniquely applies Acker's inequality regimes to the study of GNCCs. It argues that the concept of inequality regimes would benefit from developing it towards a global context.

Talent management of international nurses in healthcare settings: A systematic review

“…Furthermore, once working within the host system, international nurse is more likely to experience discriminatory behaviour, for example, lower levels of pay and benefits, less favourable shifts, such as night shifts or evening shifts, and be recruited to units with roles that are often difficult to fill [ 34 ]. Research has highlighted the inequalities experienced by Filipino nurses working in Finland; especially their lack of Finnish language knowledge being used as an excuse for their low salaries [ 35 ].…”

“…highlighted the inequalities experienced by Filipino nurses working in Finland; especially their lack of Finnish language knowledge being used as an excuse for their low salaries [35].…”

Filipino nurses as enablers of the future welfare state: the global commodity chains of producing racialized care labour for ageing Finland

“…Some arguments in this chapter apply also to these other non-EU nurses working in Finland (see also Nieminen 2011). However, we focus on the case of Filipinos (see also Cleland Silva 2016;Vaittinen 2017;Vartiainen 2019;Näre & Cleland Silva 2020), because this is the only non-EU source country where Finnish recruitment companies operate, and which the companies often market as a solution to the Finnish care and labour deficits.…”

Culturally and linguistically diverse registered nurses' experiences of integration into nursing workforce – A qualitative descriptive study

“…To address this nursing shortage, educational and healthcare systems have promoted the recruitment of both local immigrant and native nurse graduates along with internationally educated nurses (Dumont and Socha-Dietrich, 2021). Due to the changing labor markets and competitiveness for healthcare workers, foreign nurse recruitment to Finland has expanded from the Nordic region to further international destinations such as the Philippines (Näre and Cleland Silva, 2021). This phenomenon, along with a growing number of locally educated culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) graduates (Mikkonen et al, 2016), has increased the cultural and linguistic diversity within the Finnish nursing workforce (Calenda et al, 2019).…”