One of the biggest issues plaguing the nursing profession today is unemployment and to solve or at least lessen it effect, the chief of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has a suggestion.

Labor Secretary, Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said that incoming college freshmen should pass up taking a nursing course for now and advised them to consider taking other health-related degrees. She also recommends the health and wellness industry as another option in looking for lucrative job opportunities.

Baldoz said, “With the continuous glut of registered, yet, unemployed nurses, alongside with the recent developments highlighted by nurse-volunteerism in hospitals and institutions, I encourage students and workers to look at other healthcare professions if they want to get employed quickly.”

The DOLE chief issued the statement taking into consideration the successful examinees of the recent Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) saying that looking at other job opportunities in other industries would help reduce the impact of oversupply of nurses and jobs and skills mismatch cases.

Baldoz also instructed the students and jobseekers to look at the labor market information (LMI) available in the DOLE’s Project Jobs Fit. This information identifies the top employment generators in the country today and it includes jobs in the Health and Wellness industry.

She said, “The Health and Wellness industry has been identified by DOLE’s Project Jobsfit as one of the 12 key employment generators (KEGs) that will provide more employment opportunities."

Apparently the occupations below are expected to generate many employment opportunities in both local and overseas market up to 2020: optometry, physical therapy, pharmacy, medical technology, clinical and internal medicine, surgery, and radiology, wellness massage (hilot) and spa/massage therapy.

Baldoz also said that according to the Career Guide section of DOLE, the entry level salary of professionals in the health and wellness industry range from P8, 000 -- P12,000 a month in the local sector. This amount can go up to P20,000 or higher after years of experience. Health and wellness workers abroad earn an average of USD6,351 a month or higher.

Baldoz added, “These kind of careers are in-demand not only in hospitals, but also in laboratories, clinics, health maintenance organizations, public health agencies, pharmaceutical firms, research institutions, scientific equipment companies, physicians’ offices, and schools offering clinical laboratory science programs. Indeed, their licenses can bring them to greater heights and greener pastures.”

Visit www.DOLe.gov.phto view their Career Guide section.