Sharp increase in rehiring of retired nurses in N.L. underscores recruitment and retention problems: union
Posted on: Mar 19, 2026 14:00 IST | Posted by: Cbc
The list of retired nurses who were rehired to act in the public health-care scheme has skyrocketed in the endure decennary, with the most notable jump happening part way through the pandemic.
Last fiscal year, 253 retired nurses worked an average of 15,105.15 days. That's a vast increase from the six retired nurses who worked a combined 158 days during the 2014-15 fiscal year.
The numbers show the health-care sector relied most heavily on retirees in the years after the pandemic began.
"The data shows that our health-care system continues to rely heavily on retired nurses to help keep services running, and that tells us the underlying recruitment and retention problems are still not resolved," said Yvette Coffey, president of the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador, in an emailed statement.
In an email, the union said as of January there were 343 vacant registered nurse and nurse practitioner positions across the province.
In her statement, Coffey said the union is supportive of retired nurses who wish to return to the field.
However, Coffey said relying on retired nurses, casuals and other temporary staffing measures is not a long-term solution.
"These measures may help manage the pressure in the moment, but they do not fix the systemic issues affecting recruitment and retention," Coffey said.
Coffey said the provincial government has "started to take some positive steps to address underlying concerns," but that work must continue to stabilize the workforce.
NLHS said no one was available for an interview by publishing time.
More than 1,300 new nurses were hired between early 2023 and early 2025, a provincial government health-care recruitment website notes.
It's not just the health-care sector that's relying on retirees.
Last year, some 592 retirees subbed a total of 31,791 days — a massive increase compared to 10 years ago, when just 61 retired teachers worked 1,104 days during the 2015-16 school year.
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