Overseas nurses’ motivations for working in the UK

John Aggergaard Larsen, Helen T. Allan, Karen Bryan and Pam Smith
Additional contact information
John Aggergaard Larsen: University of Surrey, UK, j.larsen@surrey.ac.uk
Helen T. Allan: University of Surrey, UK
Karen Bryan: University of Surrey, UK
Pam Smith: University of Surrey, UK

Work, Employment & Society, 2005, vol. 19, issue 2, 349-368

Abstract: This article addresses the theoretical integration of macro and micro dimensions of global workforce migration, detailing overseas nurses’motivations for working in the UK. The discussion is based on focus group interviews with overseas nurses in three areas in the UK. Their motivations for migrating are contrasted with their experiences of frequently being stereotyped as economic migrants who come from poor countries to gain financial benefits. These conflicting perspectives on overseas nurses’ motivations are explored through a discussion of Bauman’s notion of global and local values, which conceptually combines issues of globalization with the migrants’ perspectives. Giddens’ concept ‘life politics’ is introduced to take further account of individuals’experiences and perspectives. Our data suggest that overseas nurses take a global, transnational perspective on life. Likewise, the simplistic understanding of overseas nurses as economic migrants appears to reflect a local perspective where the lives of individuals are seen to be confined within the borders of nation states. The analysis suggests how perspectives on migration are shaped by individuals’ values and life orientations interfacing with conditions of globalization.

Keywords: focus group interview; globalization; healthcare workforce; life politics; migration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017005053177 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:19:y:2005:i:2:p:349-368

DOI: 10.1177/0950017005053177

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Work, Employment & Society from British Sociological Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().