The Nursing Labour Market in Botswana: An Economic Analysis

Abstract

Nursing is one of the largest and most essential components of the medical profession in health care in any country. The objective of this paper is to critically assess the demand for and supply of nursing labour in Botswana. Literature shows that nurses are likely to be paid low wages because of the monopsonic nature of the nursing labour market. The study empirically examines the shortage of nurses in Botswana and factors responsible for the same. We argue that there is a shortage of nurses, resulting from resignations which are mainly due to increased workloads. Nurses also believe that they are under-paid and are highly dissatisfied by the working conditions in the country and thus display a high propensity to migrate to other countries.

Keywords: medical profession, Botswana, nurses, labour, shortage, monopsonic.