Recommendations

1. Enhancing Immigration Policies
- Improve recognition of foreign credentials:
* Strengths: This can help to attract qualified foreign professionals, streamline the accreditation process, and create bilateral agreements for mutual recognition among nations (Kahanec & Careja, 2020).
* Weaknesses: It may require significant cooperation and coordination between countries to achieve mutual acceptance of professional credentials.
* Effectiveness: By simplifying the process and acknowledging foreign qualifications, more skilled professionals will be enticed to work abroad, thereby alleviating labour shortages.
- Expand visa quotas and streamline application procedures:
* Strengths: Easing visa restrictions can facilitate the movement of skilled workers across borders, fostering a more diverse and talented workforce.
* Weaknesses: Some countries may experience resistance to adopting more liberal immigration policies due to economic or political concerns.
* Effectiveness: Studies suggest that implementing liberal immigration policies can effectively mitigate labour scarcities and promote economic expansion by allowing the unrestricted movement of skilled individuals across national boundaries (Ortega & Peri, 2019).

2. Addressing Economic Inactivity
- Encourage later retirement through policy changes:
* Strengths: By increasing the official retirement age or implementing incentive programmes for employees who continue working beyond retirement age, the labor force can be sustained (Wang, 2019).
* Weaknesses: The effectiveness of policies encouraging later retirement may depend on factors such as incentives, individual preferences and workplace culture.
* Effectiveness: Encouraging older professionals to remain in the workforce can help to maintain workforce availability and alleviate labour shortages.
- Rehabilitation and return-to-work programmes for individuals with long-term health issues:
* Strengths: Supporting workers in regaining their health and reintegrating back into the workforce can help reduce economic inactivity (Stothart, 2021).
* Weaknesses: The success of these programmes may depend on factors such as funding, adequate support systems, and the willingness of employers to accommodate workers returning after long absences.
* Effectiveness: Comprehensive rehabilitation programs can enhance workforce participation and help to alleviate labour shortages.

3. Addressing the Skills Gap
- Industry-specific programs, collaborations between employers and educational institutions, and government-led initiatives:
* Strengths: These strategies can help to improve skills and knowledge of workers while directly addressing the needs of the industry (Nei et al., 2019; De Avila, 2019; Van Ark & De Spiegeleire, 2020).
* Weaknesses: Ensuring the success of these initiatives may require significant financial investment and inter-agency cooperation.
* Effectiveness: By targeting the skills gap and developing relevant programs, workforce competitiveness can be enhanced, and labour shortages can be alleviated.

These recommendations are directly connected to the problems highlighted in the findings and aim to alleviate labour shortages in various industries, including healthcare, while fostering economic growth and stability.