Common cause? ‘Shortages’ of nurses and teachers in the 1990s

This article considers the labour market for teachers and nurses in the 1990s, with particular emphasis on evaluating the likely effect of policy initiatives to address recruitment and retention difficulties. The characteristics of the two occupational labour markets are examined, and supply and demand constraints are considered. The likely impact of four broad areas of policy intervention are evaluated: improving supply from ‘traditional’ sources; increasing supply from ‘non‐traditional’ sources; improving retention and return; and improving deployment.