Nearly 400 Welsh nursing and midwifery graduates remain without NHS jobs after the initial process to match them to suitable roles finished.
Improved recruitment and retention of staff meant there were fewer vacancies than had been originally anticipated, according to Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), which is responsible for developing and training workers.
It said 703 graduates had been matched to entry-level band 5 roles, but 383 nursing, midwifery and operating department practitioners (ODPs) had not secured any.
Nursing and midwifery unions both criticised the lack of available roles, pointing to increasing demand at hospitals struggling with staffing shortages.
The students’ university places were funded because the healthcare system mapped out the number of people that would be needed to fill future roles, but in the four years since things have changed – including spiralling costs for health boards and trusts.
But in some places it is also because fewer people are leaving the profession, so gaps have not been created. Cwm Taf Morgannwg, for instance, has found that staff turnover nearly halved in recent years.