The Royal College of Nursing said it is “yet again raising the alarm” after confirmation that there is shortage of Band 5 posts for newly qualified nurses in Wales despite services under “extreme pressure”.

RCN Wales said that current indications suggest up to half of all nursing graduates in Wales may be left without a job when recruitment finally opens.

The news comes as NHS services across Wales remain under extreme pressure, with patients regularly cared for in “crowded, unsafe environments”, RCN Wales said.

“Staff continue to report unmanageable workloads and a system struggling to meet even basic levels of demand,” RCN Wales added.

“This crisis does not exist in isolation.

“NHS Wales services remain under extreme and worsening pressure.

“Across multiple health boards, patients are routinely cared for in overcrowded, unsafe environments, despite being fundamentally unsafe, undignified, and unsustainable.

“Against this backdrop, the idea that Wales cannot offer jobs to newly qualified nurses is nothing short of alarming.

“These graduates are desperately needed in clinical areas that are already stretched beyond safe limits.

“Losing them risks further destabilising services, increasing pressure on already exhausted staff, and worsening patient outcomes.”

RCN Wales warns that the lack of jobs for new nurses represents a serious failure of workforce planning and undermines the Welsh government & NHS Duty of Quality to improve the safety of care.

The RCN said it is “indefensible that a system in crisis cannot offer roles to the very nurses it urgently needs.”

“Students who have dedicated years training to serve Wales deserve certainty, transparency and fair treatment,” RCN Wales said.

The RCN is demanding that Welsh government provide urgent clarity on the scale of the shortfall; a credible, long-term workforce planning and an immediate system‑wide solutions to recruit, retain and deploy the nursing workforce Wales needs both now and in the future.

RCN Wales said it has received assurances that students will not be penalised where posts are unavailable including being released from any work‑in‑Wales obligations and not being required to repay tuition fee support when workforce shortages prevent them from securing employment.

Professor Sandy Harding, Associate Director of Nursing, RCN Wales, said: “The situation facing newly registered nurses is deeply concerning and exposes serious failures in workforce planning.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that this situation is being driven by financial constraints, including the freezing of vacant posts within the local health boards.

“Our NHS is under intense pressure, yet hundreds of newly qualified nurses may have no posts to enter.

“This is simply unacceptable.

“These students stepped forward for Wales, trained through immense challenges, and now face uncertainty at the very moment the system needs them most.

“They deserve far better.

“Every newly qualified nurse will be vital to meeting Wales’s care needs.

“The RCN will continue to demand transparency, accountability and long‑term planning from the system.

“We will not stop speaking up for students, for our safety critical nursing workforce, and for the people who rely on safe, high‑quality care.”