• Special Report

The Growing Demand for Healthcare Workers

A State-by-State View

Published

Published: 
April 18, 2023

A new research series from the American Immigration Council, The Growing Demand for Healthcare Workers, highlights the crucial role immigrants are playing to help address critical workforce shortages in healthcare at the state-level. As states grapple with meeting growing healthcare needs, especially in rural counties, these fact sheets highlight an opportunity for states to introduce innovative policies that attract and retain immigrant talent that is complementary to the U.S.-born workforce, and that also build career pathways for immigrants who already call the state home.

There is growing demand for healthcare workers across the nation. Between 2017 and 2021, states from Arizona to Virginia saw an increase in the number of online job postings for unique healthcare worker positions. Immigrants often punch above their weight, representing a larger share of workers in healthcare roles like physicians, surgeons, dental hygienists, and respiratory therapists than their share of the population. Although there is a growing need for healthcare workers, many immigrants who received specialized training abroad cannot practice in the state. In 2021, many immigrants with healthcare-related professional and doctorate degrees were working in a healthcare occupation that did not require one.

More on the contributions of immigrants in the healthcare industry across the U.S. here: 

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