The union says newly qualified staff in several regions are waiting for permanent offers while posts remain vacant.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to issue permanent contracts to newly qualified nurses and midwives, saying some 2026 graduates are still waiting for job offers despite reported clinical vacancies.
The union said the problem extended beyond Galway to Drogheda, Sligo, Letterkenny and Cork. The INMO cited 23 vacant midwifery posts at University Hospital Galway and more than 80 nursing and midwifery vacancies at Cork University Maternity Hospital.
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said uncertainty over contracts was confronting graduates at the start of their careers. She argued that regional cost controls should not prevent the HSE from honouring its graduate-employment commitments, and warned that nurses and midwives could seek work abroad if permanent positions were delayed.
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