An economic theory of registered nurses' non-pecuniary job rewards

Non-pecuniary job regards refer to how occupational environments and tasks mesh with employees' preferences. There is consistent evidence that registered nurses in Australia are dissatisfied with their working environment. This is of concern in a health care system dealing with rising demand and insuficient registered nurse supply. This study has two aims. Firstly, the labour market and institutional drivers which bring about poor non-pecuniary reqards are identified and analysed. The second aim is to suggest policy changes addressing issues such as countervailing labour market forces and incentives embedded in the health care system which will improve ino-pecuniary benefits.