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Abstract

The paper explores migrant workers careers in the health sector, comparing the Spanish case and the British case. International migration has become an important feature of globalized labour markets in health care. Recently, concerns over the need of ensuring staff and skill shortages in the health system are becoming a common issue in many European countries. Following this, the paper is focused on career uncertainty for migrant workers, qualification recognition processes, policy issues on the training of nurses and doctors in both countries selected as contrasting cases given the different length of immigration experience. We consider trends in migration, working conditions of migrants, migration policies and recruitment practices. By using a qualitative approach, the paper demonstrates that professional trajectories of migrant doctors and nurses are more uncertain, although there are important differences regarding the role of regulatory institutions, and union’s action.