Home Care Workers and Immigration

Over one-quarter of home care workers [interviewed] were born outside the United States. Thirty-two percent report speaking English “not well” or “not at all.” Eighty-six percent are U.S. citizens.

Background: Home care ranks among the top 10 fastest-growing occupations in the U.S. Furthermore, from 2016 to 2026, home care workers are projected to add more jobs than any other single occupation, with over 1 million new jobs anticipated.

Today, over 2.1 million home care workers provide personal assistance and health care support to older adults and people with disabilities in their homes and in community-based settings across the United States. In the past 10 years, the provision of long-term services and support has increasingly shifted from institutional settings, such as nursing homes, to private homes and communities. To meet this changing need, the home care workforce more than doubled in size between 2007 and 2017.

In the years ahead, the rapidly growing population of older adults will drive demand for home care workers even higher. As evidenced by the growing workforce shortage in home care, employers are struggling to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of workers to meet demand. Their struggle is exacerbated by the poor quality of home care jobs. With a median hourly wage of $11.03 and inconsistent work hours, home care workers typically earn $15,100 annually. One in five home care workers lives below the federal poverty line and more than half rely on some form of public assistance.

The jobs are Personal Care Aides, Home Health Aides, and Nursing Assistants.

From U.S. Home Care Workers: Key Facts

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