SMU Associate Professor of Sociology Yasmin Ortiga shared that her research on Filipino migrant nurses aims to trace their global career paths and understand factors influencing their migration, beyond personal motives. Her project, Tracing Nurse Trajectories: Multinational Migration Amid Global Competition, will quantitatively track nurses’ movements across countries and examine the so-called “middle space” of recruiters, brokers, state officials, and other actors who shape decisions. Assoc Prof Ortiga noted that her findings could guide policymakers in countries like Singapore, which must balance recruitment with work-life considerations to retain top talent while navigating pressures from alternative destinations and rising global demand.
