MOH added that the S$15,000 bonus will also extend to fresh graduate nurses who were working part-time in the public healthcare clusters or publicly-funded residential community care organisations, before converting to full-timers in the same institution in 2023.
Male graduates from ITE’s December 2020 graduation cohort and the polytechnics’ March 2021 graduation cohorts, who will join the nursing workforce this year after their National Service (NS) obligations, are also eligible for the bonus.
The same goes for freshly graduated male nurses who need to serve NS and will only join the workforce in 2025.
“As long as they accept a conditional job offer by Dec 31, 2023, and join any of the above-mentioned institutions as full-time nurses immediately after the completion of their NS, they would be eligible for the sign-on bonus,” said MOH.
The Health Ministry said it was on track to exceed its target of bringing in 4,000 nurses this year, which was first announced by Mr Ong in November 2022.
In the first half of 2023, public healthcare clusters recruited about 2,000 new nurses through “intensified” local and overseas recruitment, and they expect to recruit another 2,000 by the end of the year, said MOH, adding that including private sector recruitment would take the number past 4,000.
The ministry noted that the public healthcare clusters and community care organisations had recently enhanced their sponsorships for nursing studies in Institutes of Higher Learning.