An extra 163 graduate nurses have been employed in New Zealand compared to the same time last year.

Ministry of Health figures show a total of 868 graduates, or 59 per cent, have been employed while another 571 graduates are still looking for work.

Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) has employed the largest number of graduate nurses, with 104, Auckland has employed 96, Waitemata has 93, Waikato has 86, Capital and Coast has employed 74 and Counties Manukau has 66.

At other DHBs, Hawke’s Bay has employed 32 graduate nurses, Southern has 30, Nelson/Marlborough has 29, Hutt Valley and MidCentral both have 28, Northland has 27, Taranaki has 22, Whanganui has 18, West Coast and Lakes each have 15, South Canterbury and Tairawhiti both have 12, Wairarapa has eight, while a non-DHB employer has employed 27 graduates.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health says employment prospects for nurses “compare favourably” with graduates from other degrees.

“In the last couple of years, 40-50 per cent of graduates have employment before they know the outcome of their Nursing Council State Exam, 60-70 per cent are employed within five months and almost all are employed within 12 months.

“Of the 1078 November 2013 graduates who applied through ACE in 2013, just 19 (1.7 per cent) remain on the talent pool.”

Immigration New Zealand recently announced the long-term skills shortage list for registered nurses in critical care and emergency, medicare and perioperative will be increased from three to five years of relevant work experience in a bid to ensure migrant nurses are not competing with the country’s nurse graduates for entry level positions.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation last year launched a petition calling for the government to fund a one-year nurse entry to practice program for all new graduate nurses.

The NZNO petition came amid concerns large numbers of graduate nurses were failing to secure work in a clinical setting due to a limited number of Nurse Entry to Practice (NEtP) program places while employers were also seeking candidates with experience.