According to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, there are fewer Filipino nurses who are seeking employment in the United States compared to what was recorded in the previous years.

THE TUCP based their observations on the total number of nurses who took the US Nursing Licensure Examination which decreases this year.

Secretary-General and former senator Ernesto Herrera said that for January-September 2009, only 11,854 Filipino nurses took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) compared to the 15,079 examinees on the same months in 2008.

He added that from July-September 2009, only 3,582 took the NCLEX for the first time, down by the 1,660 from the 5,242 that took the same test in the same quarter last year.

Although there are NCLEX review centers in Manila to help Filipino nurses prepare for the examination, a sharp decline of examiners are still recorded,

Herrera believes that due to the recession in the United Stateswhich lead to left and right lay-offs, Filipino nurse are in doubt if they are taking their chances in the country of milk and honey.

“The confidence of foreign workers in America’s economic supremacy has clearly been shaken by the staggering job losses there,” Herrera said.

Herrera noted that according to the US Department of Labor, 7.6 millions Americans have lost their jobs when US was hit by economic crisis in 2007. The unemployed Americans doubled to 15.1 million this year.

However, Herrera said that 4 out of 10 Filipino nurses still want to work in USAdespite of the on going crisis.

For 2008, a total of 20,746 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time, 3.5 decreases from the 21,299 Filipino nurses who took the test in 2007.