States across the country have faced critical healthcare worker shortages for years, and the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated these needs. In 2015, there were about 10 open healthcare jobs for every unemployed worker in the United States. By 2018, even before the current outbreak, this number had risen by more than 30 percent, with 13 open jobs for every unemployed healthcare worker. As states brace for a second wave of coronavirus infections, addressing these shortages will become even more critical.
Given these growing shortages and the imminent need for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis, the role of immigrants in the healthcare industry is vital to the fight against the disease and to a successful recovery in its aftermath.
Our latest research highlights the growing demand, and the role immigrants are already playing across the healthcare skills spectrum, in several key states.
