Foreign-Born Health Care Workers in the United States In 2010, women accounted for three of every four foreign-born health care workers. Employment in health care occupations increased despite the recession and is projected to outpace almost every major occupational group in terms of job growth between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Amid this growth, the number of foreign-born health care workers has also been on the rise, increasing from 1.5 million to 1.8 million between 2006 and 2010. Today, immigrants make up a sizeable proportion of the U.S. health care workforce. In 2010, the foreign born accounted for 16 percent of all civilians employed in health care occupations in the United States. In some health care professions, this share was larger. More than one-quarter of physicians and surgeons (27 percent) were foreign born, as were more than one out of every five (22 percent) persons working in health care support jobs as nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides. Although the characteristics of health care workers varied across occupational categories, as a group foreign-born health care workers were more likely than their native-born counterparts to have obtained a college degree and more likely than employed immigrants overall to speak English fluently or be naturalized U.S. citizens. This Spotlight provides a demographic and socioeconomic profile of foreign-born health care workers residing in the United States. The data come primarily from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. All data refer to employed civilians age 16 and older unless otherwise noted. Health care occupations are projected to account for about one in every six newly created jobs in the United States between 2010 and 2020. Foreign-born health care workers can be admitted to the United States under a variety of temporary and permanent visa categories. In 2010, 16 percent of all U.S. health care workers were foreign born. The foreign born accounted for more than one in four U.S. doctors (physicians and surgeons) in 2010. Nearly one-third of foreign-born women employed in health care occupations in 2010 worked as in health care support jobs as nursing, psychiatric, or home health aides. Foreign-born health care workers, regardless of gender, were more likely to be physicians and surgeons than their native-born peers. In 2010, women accounted for three of every four foreign-born health care workers. About 40 percent of all foreign-born health care workers residing in the United States in 2010 were born in Asia. About one-third of foreign-born workers employed as registered nurses in 2010 were born in the Philippines. Foreign-born health care workers were more likely to have a college education than their native-born counterparts in 2010. The majority of immigrants employed in health care occupations in 2010 had naturalized as U.S. citizens. In 2010, 73 percent of foreign-born health care workers spoke English fluently. In 2010, almost one-quarter of foreign-born workers employed in health care support jobs as nursing, psychiatric, or home health aides lacked health insurance. Source
