Immigrant Workers in the Massachusetts Health Care Industry: A Report on Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

Given the vital picture of foreign-born health care workers, this study has the following objectives: To document the labor market position of foreign-born workers in the sector at various levels (national, statewide, sub-regional) including patterns of occupational concentration during the last decade or so, prospects for occupational mobility, wages, geographic concentration, employment by type of establishment (hospitals, community health centers, etc.) and workforce development opportunities; To document, whenever possible, the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of foreign-born workers in the sector, including country of origin and gender among others; To document the qualitative contribution of foreign-born workers in the health care delivery environment, especially through cultural and linguistic competence as well as cross cultural communications; To document promising institutional practices in Massachusetts (mainly collaborations and workforce development activities) aimed at improving or modifying the conditions for foreign-born workers and enhancing the labor pool for employers; To document the important role that institutions (universities, research organizations, hospitals, unions and professional associations, government and the non-profit sector) play in shaping the labor market prospects of foreign-born workers in the health care sector; To document critical shortages in some health care professions and occupations; To outline public policy recommendations for broad dissemination