RiceUniversity’s Baker Institute for Public Policy has recently published a report oncurrent and future US health care labor shortages, as well as the roleimmigration policy reform could play in meeting the challenges of a laborshortage.

HealthCare Industry Labor Shortages

Researchfrom the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that fewer people are workingin the health care sector, in part as a result of COVID-19 pandemic job losses.While the industry showed progress in 2023, the sector’s overall employment rateshave not fully recovered to pre-pandemic rates.

RiceUniversity’s report gathersdata from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Forbes, ADAHealth Policy Institute, and the National Association for Home Care and Hospicethat predict health care labor shortages in the coming 10-15 years across manypositions in the industry, including physicians, nurses, clinical laboratoryspecialists, dental hygienists, pharmacists, and home care workers.

ProposedImmigration Policy Reform Targeting Health Care Industry Needs

RiceUniversity cites the Migration Policy Institute’s research that immigrants madeup 18% of employees in a health care occupation in the US in 2021, including26% of physicians and surgeons and almost 40% of home health aides. Immigrantsmake up roughly 14% of the US population, meaning immigrants’ representation isoutsized in the health care sector.

Toalleviate the labor shortages in the health care workforce, Rice University’sreport recommends immigration policy reforms, including:

  • Raisingthe annual cap for H-1B visas for health care workers;
  • Creatingnew sector-specific visa categories with expedited processing;
  • Leveragingexisting programs, such as the TN visa program, for RNs who are citizens ofMexico or Canada to work temporarily in the US;
  • Reformingthe public charge rule to exclude direct care health workers, such as frontlineworkers, to reduce the chance of entry denial based on potential use of publicassistance;
  • Increasingfunding and resources for immigration processing to shorten lengthy processingperiods, reduce delays, and ensure timely entry for health care workers. 

MusilloUnkenholt endorses the report’scontention that implementing comprehensive reforms such as these would help tomeet the country’s growing health care needs, support economic growth byimproving access to efficient health care, maintain high-quality patientservices while promoting greater access to care, and create a more flexible andresponsive health care workforce.