Icelandic doctors on a transnational labor market

Abstract

Icelandic doctors responded to the financial crisis of 2008 by emigrating in great numbers. Between 2009 and 2014, 330 doctors emigrated from Iceland, while only 140 doctors returned. Consequently, Iceland witnessed the sharpest increase in inhabitants per doctor in its history, which resulted in a crisis within the healthcare sector. The article looks at how the structure of the labour market influences Icelandic doctors’ migratory decision-making. I argue that professional standards are equally important to wages as a factor influencing the doctors’ mobility and migratory trajectories, and that the main problem revolves around the work environment, particularly the structure of the healthcare system itself. The research is based on in-depth interviews with 20 doctors who have worked abroad but moved back to Iceland, 10 doctors who are working abroad with no plans to move back, and 15 policy makers within the healthcare sector.