Global Healthcare Staffing Challenges in 2025 and How to Overcome Them
Hospital HR leaders in the UK, UAE, Canada, and Australia are facing some of the toughest staffing challenges in decades. Nurse shortages, rising demand for specialists, and licensing delays are straining patient care. By partnering with an experienced medical recruitment agency, hospitals can bridge these gaps quickly and reliably.
This article highlights the biggest healthcare staffing challenges in 2025 and provides practical solutions for hospital decision-makers.
The Critical Shortage of Skilled Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare systems worldwide are struggling to hire and retain enough staff:
- UK: The NHS is short 46,000 nurses and 12,000 doctors. Vacancies are contributing to longer wait times and overstretched wards.
- Canada: By 2030, the country could face shortages of 117,600 nurses and 78,000 doctors. Already, 6.5 million Canadians lack a family doctor.
- Australia: Workforce planners warn of a 123,000 nurse shortfall by 2030 without intervention.
- UAE: Healthcare expansion is rapid, but 96% of workers are expatriates, leading to high turnover and ongoing staffing gaps.
Why it’s happening
- Aging populations with greater healthcare needs.
- Burnout and early retirements since the pandemic.
- Training pipelines that aren’t producing enough graduates.
What hospitals can do
- Use international nurse recruitment to fill urgent vacancies. Many nurses are open to relocation if licensing and visas are managed well.
- Support retention with flexible scheduling, burnout resources, and career development.
- Use temporary staffing solutions like locum doctors or travel nurses to cover peaks.
Regional Staffing Capabilities
GRE supports health care and medical recruitment across disciplines and global education models:
United Kingdom
- Nurses must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This requires English exams, competency testing, and an OSCE practical exam.
- Doctors need General Medical Council (GMC) registration, often through PLAB exams.
- Work sponsorship under the Health and Care Worker visa is required.
Australia
- Overseen by AHPRA. Overseas nurses may need the NCLEX-RN exam, OSCE, and a long credentialing process.
- Even streamlined pathways in 2025 can take months.
- Visa sponsorship is needed for foreign-trained professionals.
UAE
- Licensing is split between DHA (Dubai), DOH (Abu Dhabi), and MOH (other emirates). Each requires exams, credential verification, and DataFlow checks.
- Hospitals must also sponsor work visas before staff can begin practicing.
Canada
- Licensing is provincial, making the process fragmented. Nurses must go through NNAS and NCLEX, doctors through the MCC and provincial colleges.
- Immigration pathways like Express Entry healthcare streams are improving speed, but HR teams must manage documentation carefully.
Solution:
Partnering with a medical recruitment agency ensures candidates are pre-screened, guided through licensing, and supported with visas, reducing delays.
Rising Demand in Underserved Locations
Even when enough staff exist nationally, some areas are left behind.
- Canada: Rural and northern regions face chronic doctor and nurse shortages. Only 9.6% of nurses now work in rural areas.
- Australia: Outback communities rely heavily on internationally trained doctors and nurses.
- UK: Coastal and remote areas often have difficulty attracting specialists compared to London or other cities.
- UAE: Clinics outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi sometimes struggle to recruit specialists.
Solutions
- Offer relocation incentives (housing, bonuses, family support).
- Use global medical hiring to find candidates open to rural assignments.
- Support staff with community integration programs to improve retention.
International Recruitment as a Practical Solution
Training local staff takes years. Hospitals with urgent shortages need immediate solutions. International recruitment has become essential.
- In the UK, half of new nurses joining the register in 2022 were trained overseas.
- Canada and Australia are now streamlining foreign credentialing to bring talent in faster.
- In the UAE, healthcare expansion depends almost entirely on expatriate staff.
Why it works
- Access to a global talent pool.
- Faster turnaround when local candidates are unavailable.
Proven retention: international nurses often stay longer in placements than domestic hires.
Facing urgent hospital staffing gaps?
Global Recruitment Experts is a trusted medical recruitment agency with international reach. We manage licensing, visas, and relocation so hospitals can onboard skilled staff faster.
How a Medical Recruitment Agency Can Help
Specialized recruitment agencies take on the heavy lifting of global hiring:
- Global talent sourcing from established networks.
- Pre-screening to deliver only vetted, qualified candidates.
- Licensing and immigration guidance for NMC, AHPRA, DHA/HAAD, and Canadian processes.
- Faster time-to-hire with efficient coordination across time zones and agencies.
- Relocation support including travel, housing, and orientation.
- Reduced HR burden so internal teams can focus on onboarding and retention.
What to Look for in a Recruitment Partner
Not all agencies are equal. Hospital HR leaders should ask:
- Do they specialize in healthcare recruitment?
- Do they understand licensing in your region (NMC, AHPRA, DHA/HAAD)?
- Can they show proven success stories in hospital staffing?
- Do they follow ethical recruitment standards (WHO Code of Practice)?
Do they provide end-to-end support, not just candidate introductions?
Frequently Asked Questions:
What services does a medical recruitment agency provide?
A medical recruitment agency connects hospitals with international doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. Services include sourcing, credential verification, licensing support, visa coordination, and relocation assistance.
Why should hospitals use international nurse recruitment?
International nurse recruitment opens access to qualified talent pools worldwide, helping hospitals fill shortages faster than domestic hiring alone. Agencies handle compliance and ensure recruits are licensed and ready to practice.
How long does international recruitment take?
Timelines vary by region. With agency support, hospitals can often onboard staff within 3–6 months, depending on licensing and visa processing.
Do agencies help with rural or hard-to-fill placements?
Yes. Many agencies, including Global Recruitment Experts, specialize in recruiting candidates willing to relocate to underserved regions with the right support and incentives.
The global healthcare staffing crisis won’t ease overnight. Hospitals in the UK, Canada, Australia, and the UAE must think globally to keep wards staffed and patients safe.
Partnering with an experienced medical recruitment agency like Global Recruitment Experts ensures access to qualified candidates worldwide, backed by full compliance and relocation support.
Don’t let staffing gaps compromise care.
Contact Global Recruitment Experts today to build a reliable international staffing plan for your hospital.