irish Medical graduates:โค One-Third Initially move Abroad, But Many โReturn
Dublin, โIreland – A new analysis of graduate data โคreveals that โalmost aโค third (31%) of doctors โคwho โqualified in Ireland in โ2013 moved abroad within a decade of graduation.The study, conducted by the Central Statistics โOffice (CSO), highlights a pattern โofโฃ outward migrationโฃ followed byโ return for Irish-trained โขmedicalโฃ professionals.
The CSO data shows thatโ of the โฃ2013 medical graduates, 489 nurses and midwives – representing 37% of that cohort – initially left Ireland. However,โค a notable majority, 303 โค(62%), afterward returned within the ten-year period.
The trend reflects ongoing recruitment efforts targeting Irish graduates by healthcare systemsโ in countries like Australia and the middle East, โwhere they are โฃemployed โคin substantial numbers. Notably, a majority ofโ nurses registering for theโ firstโ time inโข Ireland in recent years actually qualified abroad.
CSO โstatistician โBrian Stanley โcautioned โthat the figures representing those who moved โฃabroad are based on individuals not โappearingโ in Irish administrative data forโข at least โoneโ year โpost-graduation. “While it is assumed that graduates who were ‘not captured’โ haveโฃ emigrated,” he stated, “there is no definitive indicator of โฃemigration available.”
Despite โฃinitial outward movement, the study found strong retention within the medical professions. Tenโข years after completing their courses,95% โof medicine graduates and 88% of nurses and midwives wereโ still workingโ in their respective fields.
the data also reveals a consistentโ employment pattern within the Irish healthcare system.In 2023,โค 70%โฃ of nurses/midwives and 71%โ of doctorsโ who qualified in 2013โฃ were employed by the public health service.
Moreover, โคthe statistics highlight a โขgender pay gap โคthat widens over time. Male โขgraduates,โฃ in bothโ medicine and nursing, earn โmore on average thanโข theirโ female counterparts.Doctors who graduated in 2013 earned an average of โฌ26 moreโค per โweek 12 months after qualifying, increasing to โฌ790 more โper week after a decade. For โnursesโ and midwives, the differencesโฃ were โฌ30 โฃand โฌ219 respectively.
