Nope, it’s not what you think it is. Not the “I do” type of thing that is usually accompanied by the lady showing off the rock in the second finger of her left hand. I am talking about employment. With Labor Day just 10 days away, calls to mind our overseas workers, particularly those in the medical field, their contribution to the economy as well as in global health care. Arvin “Binoy” Panes, a former colleague in the banking and finance beat, dropped his journalistic hat and, instead, went back to his original calling in the medical profession. This was prior to the heightened demand for Filipino nurses all over the world. Binoy, a licensed nurse before he was lured to the glitz and glamour of journalism, tells me that in the global care arena, Filipino nurses topped the ladder. “We are highly esteemed here in the UK (his second home and country in nearly two decades). We have a positive attitude and aptitude, hardworking, caring, and more importantly, compassionate.” They’re known for being compassionate and emphatic in their approach to patient care. This surfaced and was dearly valued at the height of the pandemic. In my books, Filipino nurses commit their lives to assisting patients at an unparalleled rate. Their contribution to the domestic economy, by remitting their hard-earned money here, and notably to international health care, particularly in the last couple of years, is incomparable. These selfless professionals make the hard decision to leave their homes, families, and friends to fill critical gaps in healthcare around the globe. Binoy got me riled up, thus, I did my own research. Latest available statistics indicate that the Philippines is the largest exporter of nurses worldwide with the USA, as one most preferred destinations.  A 2019 survey showed that one out of every twenty nurses in the US comes from the Philippines. And get this, as of the end of 2021, nearly one-third of registered nurses in the Philippines were working abroad. Reports show that in 2022 the highest number of Philippine educated nurses took the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses) exam in 14 years. NCLEX is a requirement for nursing graduates in order to be hired as RN in the US and Canada. From my corridor, the increasing number of Filipino nurses wanting to work abroad is a reflection of the compensation pattern. Tagged as one of our unsung heroes, the salary of nurses here is, comparatively, pittance. Talk about May 1 when the working force seeks improvement in salary scale. Working offshore is also a way to recover from the financial difficulties we’ve all experienced in the last couple of years because of the pandemic. Abroad, nurses can expect a salary of up to three to four times more than they receive in the country. Heard around the health care community the demand for Filipino nurses is at its all-time high as an international nursing shortage threatens to take hold of the global healthcare system. In fact, healthcare staffing agencies have reported a 300 to 400 percent increase in demand for international nurses, as healthcare facilities cannot subsist with a depleted domestic labor force. Roughly about 13 million nurses are needed to mitigate the global nursing shortage. From what I gathered in the medical profession, a shortage of even one nurse can quickly become a matter of life and death. In this time of dire need, Filipino nurses are stepping up and filling international shortages. As the wheels of life continue to churn, given the strong interest for Filipino nurses, maybe it’s high time to have a well-defined support to this medical sector to empower their careers and earning potential. Talkback to me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])