It is not the case that there is a lack of challenges, either when it comes to skills supply or welfare in general. But it is important that one does not paint a whole profession black, says Bodil Umegård, section manager at SKR's employer policy department.
SKR's report shows that almost nine out of ten nurse-educated individuals work in healthcare, personnel turnover is relatively stable and more and more nurses work full-time – things Bodil Umegård highlights as breaking with the general image of the profession.
Several of these things are quite clear. I also think it's important to look at the development over time to see if there are trends and patterns to highlight.
Lowest proportion
Over the past ten years, more nurses have been recruited to the regions than have left, except for the years immediately after the corona pandemic. Among region-employed nurses, the proportion who left last year was also the lowest recorded in the last ten-year period.
Mobility among nurses has also decreased. Fewer are leaving the sector entirely, but also fewer are changing workplaces or personnel groups.
Many still work part-time, but more and more in both municipalities and regions work full-time. Since 2015, the proportion of full-time working nurses in the regions has increased from 61 percent to 66 percent in 2024, and in the municipalities it has increased from just over 55 to 67 percent during the same period.
Important with facts
Bodil Umegård emphasizes that there are challenges and has respect for the fact that it can look very different in different workplaces, but also thinks it's important to show with facts how the picture looks nationally.
We would like it to be fact-based. It's also about the fact that it's important to protect the image for those who want to become nurses, and show them that it's a stable and secure profession where many stay.
The replacement within the profession also looks stable. The interest in training to become a nurse has been relatively even over the past ten years. The pressure on nursing programs decreased slightly before the pandemic to then increase during the pandemic years and subsequently subside.
In the fall of 2014, just over 3,300 were admitted to nursing programs, and in the fall of 2024, almost 3,600.
In 2024, around 70,000 nurses worked in regions and 17,000 in municipalities.
The number of licensed nurses per 100,000 inhabitants increased by just under 4 percent between 2020 and 2024.
In 2022, 87 percent of nurses worked in healthcare. About 80 percent work in the public sector.
The number of nurses in the staffing industry decreased in 2024. At the same time, the number in both municipalities and regions increased.
Sickness absence among nurses in the regions was 4.3 percent last year – a level that has been relatively stable over the past ten years.
Source: SKR
