Shin Kong Hospital raises salaries to address nurse shortage

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital announced Friday (Oct. 27) that starting in November, it will raise salaries for nursing staff. 

Salaries for nurses on the three-shift rotation will increase by NT＄1,680, and the starting salary for new nurses will be raised to NT＄43,680, according to the hospital.

The move comes in response to concerns over high turnover rates among nurses and a shortage of staff, which has forced many hospitals to reduce the number of beds.

According to the Taiwan Union of Nurses Association (TUNA), the number of working nurses in the country dropped from 187,519 to 185,901 from January through May. Larger hospitals have been forced to close 8% to 10% of beds on average.

As of September this year, Shin Kong Hospital hired 74 nurses but lost 125, leading to a decrease in the number of beds available. Since April, it has closed 60 beds, which rose to 91 by September, including 16 in intensive care.

In addition to the salary increase, the hospital is implementing other incentives to boost staff morale and job satisfaction, such as retention bonuses every six months, team performance bonuses, special allowances, an immediate NT＄70,000 (around US＄2,350) signing bonus for new hires and up to four years of free accommodation.

The hospital also announced plans to increase all staff salaries next year in line with a government wage adjustment policy, aiming to create a competitive and friendly work environment to attract and retain talent.