New research from the American Immigration Council shows that immigrants in New Mexico made up over 9.9 percent of the state’s healthcare workers despite accounting for only 9.1 percent of the population. The new report, The Growing Demand for Healthcare Workers in New Mexico, highlights the contributions that immigrants make in high-demand healthcare occupations that require a professional or occupational license.

Amid rising labor shortages, New Mexico is facing increased demand for healthcare workers that international medical graduates (IMGs) and other internationally trained healthcare workers can help meet. For New Mexico to remain competitive and address critical shortages of physicians and other healthcare workers, the state must implement policies that not only attract and retain immigrant talent that is complementary to the U.S.-born workforce, but also build career pathways for immigrants who already call the state home.