Statistics
2012 Health Manpower Survey on Enrolled Nurse
Key Findings
1. The enrolled nurses covered in the 2012 Health Manpower Survey (HMS) were nursing personnel enrolled in any part of the roll under the Nurses Registration Ordinance (Chapter 164) as at the survey reference date - 31.8.2012 and had to renew their practising certificates in 2012.
2. The number of enrolled nurses covered was 7 250.
3. Of the 7 250 enrolled nurses covered, 3 042 responded to the survey, giving an overall response rate of 42.0%. Of the 3 042 responding enrolled nurses, 2 466 (81.1%) were economically active*† (active) while 576 (18.9%) reported that they were economically inactive*‡ (inactive) in the local nursing / midwifery profession.
4. Of the 2 466 active enrolled nurses, 2 413 (97.9%) were practising in the local nursing / midwifery profession, 26 (1.1%) were seeking jobs in the local nursing / midwifery profession during the 30 days before the survey, 16 (0.6%) had not been available for work because of temporary sickness and 11 (0.4%) believed that work was not available, were waiting to take up a new job or expecting to return to their original jobs in local nursing / midwifery profession during the 30 days before the survey.
5. The survey findings presented below were based on the 2 413 responding enrolled nurses who were practising in the local nursing / midwifery profession as at 31.8.2012. As some questionnaire items had missing responses, percentages presented below may not add up to 100%.
(i) |
Three active enrolled nurses did not indicate sex. Among the remaining 2 410 active enrolled nurses enumerated, 163 (6.8%) were male and 2 247 (93.2%) were female, giving an overall sex ratio 7 (males per 100 females). 32 active enrolled nurses did not indicate age and the median age of the remaining 2 381 active enrolled nurses enumerated was 48.0 years. |
(ii) |
Distribution by sector of the main job§ showed that 1 043 (43.2%) were working in the Hospital Authority, followed by 667 (27.6%) in the private sector, 511 (21.2%) in the subvented sector, 172 (7.1%) in the Government and nine (0.4%) in the academic sector. |
(iii) |
20.1% spent most of their working time on residential care, followed by 11.7% on geriatric, 11.6% on medicine, 10.9% on ambulatory care / outpatients, 10.1% on surgery, 9.3% on mental health / psychiatry / addiction treatment, 5.4% on rehabilitation, 4.1% working as visiting nurse, 3.8% on public health and 2.7% on paediatrics. |
(iv) |
The median number of hours of work (excluding meal breaks) per week of the 2 413 active enrolled nurses enumerated was 44.0 hours. 229 (9.5%) enrolled nurses were required to undertake on call duty, with a median of 9.0 hours of on-call duty (excluding normal duty) per week. |
6. Among the 576 inactive enrolled nurses.
(i) |
72 enrolled nurses reported practising overseas and four reported practising in the Mainland. |
(ii) |
500 enrolled nurses reported not practising in the nursing / midwifery profession in Hong Kong and not seeking job in the local nursing / midwifery profession during the 30 days before the survey. The reasons reported for not seeking job included: 252 (50.4%) were retired, 105 (21.0%) were engaged in household duties, 76 (15.2%) were working in other professions, 48 (9.6%) wanted to take a rest / had no motive to work / had no financial need, etc. |
* In the survey, the criteria used in defining economically active / inactive follow those recommended by the International Labour Organisation, which are also being used by the Census and Statistics Department in Hong Kong.
† "Economically active" enrolled nurse comprised all "employed" and "unemployed" enrolled nurses. "Employed" enrolled nurse referred to those enrolled nurses practising in the nursing / midwifery profession in Hong Kong during the survey period, while "unemployed" enrolled nurse referred to those enrolled nurses who (a) were not practising in the local nursing / midwifery profession during the survey period; (b) had been available for work during the seven days before the survey and (c) had sought work in the nursing / midwifery profession during the 30 days before the survey.
‡ "Economically inactive" enrolled nurse comprised the enrolled nurses who were not practising in the nursing / midwifery profession in Hong Kong during the survey period, but excluding those who had been on leave during the survey period and those who were "economically active" but "unemployed".
§ Main job referred to the jobs in which the enrolled nurses had spent most of their working time.
| Activity Status of Doctors Covered |
| Notes﹕ | * | Figure refers to the number of responding enrolled nurses who (a) were not practising in the nursing / midwifery profession in Hong Kong during the survey period; (b) had been available for work during the seven days before the survey; and (c) had sought work in the nursing / midwifery profession during the 30 days before the survey. |
| † | Figure refers to the number of responding enrolled nurses who (a) were not practising in the nursing /midwifery profession in Hong Kong during the survey period; (b) had not been available for work during the seven days before the survey; and (c) believed that work was not available, were waiting to take up a new job in the local nursing / midwifery profession or expecting to return to their original jobs in local nursing / midwifery profession during the 30 days before the survey. | |
| § | Figure refers to the number of responding enrolled nurses who reported undertaking study, etc. |