The chances of getting a job as a hospital nurse are good. The number of registered nurses (which includes hospital nurses) working in New Zealand rose steadily between 1996 and 2006.

The increase in hospital nurses is due to New Zealand's ageing population and more people being admitted to hospital.

Number of registered nurses in New Zealand
(1996, 2001, 2006)

Census	Number of registered nurses
1996	22,860
2001	25,272
2006	27,639
Source: Department of Labour, Jobs and Tertiary Education Indicator Tool.

Shortage of hospital nurses

While the number of nurses is rising, it is not keeping up with demand. The job appears on Immigration New Zealand's long-term skill shortage list. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled nurses from overseas to work in New Zealand.

Many qualified hospital nurses travel overseas to work, because they can get better pay and working conditions. This trend is contributing to the shortage.

Competition varies for hospital nursing positions

Competition varies for nursing positions, and is based on work conditions. Positions that offer regular Monday to Friday business hours attract more applicants than rostered and rotating nursing positions. For this reason it can be harder to get a hospital job with regular hours.

There are many vacancies in the mental health and aged care sectors, so hospital nurses who have skills in these areas will find it easier to get a job.

Hospital nurses work in a variety of environments including:

• public and private hospitals
• clinics
• rest homes
• nursing homes
• community health centres.

Hospital nurses work throughout New Zealand, but most are based in the main centres where there are most hospitals. The main regions of employment are:

• Auckland (30% of hospital nurses)
• Canterbury (15%)
• Wellington (11%)
• Waikato (9%)
• Bay of Plenty (5%).