E.g., 06/04/2026
E.g., 06/04/2026
NCIIP: Employment and Workforce

NCIIP: Employment and Workforce

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Short Reads
January 2026

Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration

Woman raises hand to ask question in classroom
iStock.com

A move by the Trump administration to limit immigrants' use of federal programs stands to significantly destabilize the U.S. adult education system, which has helped millions of immigrant adults learn English and build foundational skills. In the process, this will harm the White House's stated desire to help immigrants learn English, build skills, and integrate into U.S. society, as this short read outlines. 

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Reports
September 2025

All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families

Mother and daughter playing on a playground
iStock.com/Naypong

Immigrants comprise 15 percent of Connecticut’s population, and nearly 30 percent of children in the state are part of immigrant families. Having driven all state population and workforce growth over the last 15 years, immigrants are an important part of Connecticut’s present and its future. This report examines state policies and systems that aim to support upward mobility for all families, highlighting ways in which they could better meet the needs of low-income immigrant families.

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Policy Briefs
March 2025

Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth Through the Workforce Development System

Auto mechanics, one young and one old, look at a car engine in a repair shop
iStock.com/FG Trade

Young people’s transition to adulthood has important implications for their long-term career prospects and for the U.S. economy. This policy brief examines how workforce development programs, and particularly the WIOA Youth program, support immigrant youth alongside their U.S.-born peers, noting promising practices as well as persistent challenges in an era when immigrant-origin individuals are driving labor force growth.

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Policy Briefs
November 2024

Understanding Obstacles to Foreign Qualification Recognition for Key U.S. Early Childhood Education and Care Positions

A teacher and group of young children play with blocks
iStock.com/FatCamera

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems across the United States are grappling with worker recruitment and retention challenges. At the same time, immigrants with relevant education and work experience obtained abroad often find it difficult to gain recognition for those qualifications. This policy brief highlights strategies for improving hiring and licensing processes in the ECEC field.

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Policy Briefs
October 2023

Leveraging Data to Ensure Equitable and Effective Adult Skills Programming for Immigrants

Adult immigrant students work together in an English class
iStock.com/shironosov

Immigrants make significant contributions to the U.S. economy and social fabric, but many also face barriers to integration. Adult education and workforce development programs offer services intended to help address such challenges yet can be mismatched to immigrants' needs. This issue brief sketches a profile of U.S.-born and immigrant adults, highlighting key similarities and differences relevant to the design of adult skills programs.

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Short Reads
November 2022

Apprenticeship Programs Are a Promising Solution to Bring More Multilingual Workers into Early Childhood Field

Photo of a preschool teacher reading to students.
Allison Shelley/EDUimages

Shortages of workers continue to plague early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems across the United States. With the field already struggling to effectively serve young children in families that speak languages other than English, apprenticeship programs offer a promising solution to bring more—and more multilingual—workers into early childhood careers.

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Recent Activity

Cover image for Adult English Instruction at Risk
Reports
May 2026
Adult English Instruction at Risk: The Threat of Federal Funding Cuts and Potential State Responses
By  Jacob Hofstetter
Woman raises hand to ask question in classroom
Short Reads
January 2026
Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Cover image for All in for a Thriving Connecticut
Reports
September 2025
All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families
By  Margie McHugh, Julia Gelatt, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, Katherine Habben, Jacob Hofstetter and Julie Sugarman
Cover image for Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth ...
Policy Briefs
March 2025
Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth Through the Workforce Development System
By  Jacob Hofstetter
Cover image for Understanding Obstacles to Foreign Qualification Recognition...
Policy Briefs
November 2024
Understanding Obstacles to Foreign Qualification Recognition for Key U.S. Early Childhood Education and Care Positions
By  Alexis Fintland, Margie McHugh and Maki Park
Image of parents posing with daughter
Short Reads
November 2024
The Overlooked Impact of Immigration on the Size of the Future U.S. Workforce
By  Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix and Julia Gelatt
Collection of illustrations related to finance, business, and people working together
Explainers
October 2024
Explainer: Immigrants and the U.S. Economy
By  Julia Gelatt
A Black female financial advisor in a meeting.
Short Reads
August 2024
Beyond the “Black Jobs” Controversy: Immigrants and U.S.-Born Black Workers Share a Growing Jobs Pie
By  Valerie Lacarte
More
Cover image for Adult English Instruction at Risk
Reports
May 2026
Adult English Instruction at Risk: The Threat of Federal Funding Cuts and Potential State Responses
By  Jacob Hofstetter
Cover image for All in for a Thriving Connecticut
Reports
September 2025
All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families
By  Margie McHugh, Julia Gelatt, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, Katherine Habben, Jacob Hofstetter and Julie Sugarman
Cover image for Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth ...
Policy Briefs
March 2025
Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth Through the Workforce Development System
By  Jacob Hofstetter
Cover image for Understanding Obstacles to Foreign Qualification Recognition...
Policy Briefs
November 2024
Understanding Obstacles to Foreign Qualification Recognition for Key U.S. Early Childhood Education and Care Positions
By  Alexis Fintland, Margie McHugh and Maki Park
Cover image for How Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children Fit into the Future U.S. Labor Market
Reports
April 2024
How Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children Fit into the Future U.S. Labor Market
By  Jeanne Batalova, Julia Gelatt and Michael Fix
Cover image for Immigration and Integration in the Ever More Diverse Houston Area
Reports
November 2023
Immigration and Integration in the Ever More Diverse Houston Area
By  Valerie Lacarte, Michael Fix and Jeanne Batalova
Cover image for Leveraging Data...
Policy Briefs
October 2023
Leveraging Data to Ensure Equitable and Effective Adult Skills Programming for Immigrants
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Cover image for Shared Gains
Policy Briefs
October 2023
Shared Gains: Immigrant-Origin Students in U.S. Colleges
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
More
A health worker from the Philippines.
Feature
January 26, 2024
Aging Societies Rely on Immigrant Health-Care Workers, Posing Challenges for Origin Countries

Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany are increasingly relying on immigrant health-care workers to fill gaps in their workforce and care for aging populations. That has created opportunities for many foreign-born doctors and nurses, but could harm their origin countries. This article examines the dynamics of global health-care worker migration, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

HealthWorkers_Flickr_JakeGreenbergUSPacificFleet
Spotlight
May 14, 2020
Immigrant Health-Care Workers in the United States

Immigrants make up a disproportionately high number of U.S. health-care workers, from doctors and nurses to home health aides. In 2018, more than 2.6 million immigrants worked in the U.S. health-care field. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, immigrants have played a key role in the frontline response. This article explores the demographics of this group of essential workers by occupation, origin, language, education, and more.

YoungImmigrantLineUp1 WBEZPeterHolderness Flickr
Feature
August 13, 2015
Origin and Community: Asian and Latin American Unauthorized Youth and U.S. Deportation Relief

This article explores differences in application and renewal rates for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program among unauthorized immigrants from Latin America and Asia. Based on interviews with immigrant advocates and service providers, it appears participation in the deportation relief program may be different among origin groups based on varying perceptions of lack of trust in government and shame over legal status, as well as political barriers.

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Woman raises hand to ask question in classroom
Short Reads
January 2026
Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Image of parents posing with daughter
Short Reads
November 2024
The Overlooked Impact of Immigration on the Size of the Future U.S. Workforce
By  Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix and Julia Gelatt
A Black female financial advisor in a meeting.
Short Reads
August 2024
Beyond the “Black Jobs” Controversy: Immigrants and U.S.-Born Black Workers Share a Growing Jobs Pie
By  Valerie Lacarte
Image of teacher helping group of students at their computers
Short Reads
June 2024
Leveraging Digital Skills: Immigrant-Origin High School Graduates Offer a Pool of Talent for U.S. Employers
By  Jeanne Batalova
Group of students studying at a library
Short Reads
August 2023
Investing in the Future: Higher Ed Should Give Greater Focus to Growing Immigrant-Origin Student Population
By  Jeanne Batalova and Miriam Feldblum
Photo of a preschool teacher reading to students.
Short Reads
November 2022
Apprenticeship Programs Are a Promising Solution to Bring More Multilingual Workers into Early Childhood Field
By  Jacob Hofstetter, Alexis Fintland and Maki Park
Photo of woman walking around a school campus.
Short Reads
November 2021
Narrowing the Skills Gap: Equipping Immigrant-Origin Workers with Postsecondary Credentials
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
Bhutanese refugee sits on bed in family's apartment in New York
Short Reads
June 2021
A Solvable Challenge: Improving Asylee Access to Health and Other Benefits
By  Essey Workie, Mark Greenberg and Lillie Hinkle
BreadforWorld_DACA_3
Short Reads
February 2021
A Deeper Look at the DREAMers Who Could Feature in the Legalization Debate in Congress
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
HealthCare BrainWaste Commentary CDC
Short Reads
December 2020
The Role of Immigrant Health-Care Professionals in the United States during the Pandemic
By  Michael Fix, Jeanne Batalova and José Ramón Fernández-Peña
More
Collection of illustrations related to finance, business, and people working together
Explainers
October 2024

Explainer: Immigrants and the U.S. Economy

The question of whether immigration represents a net cost or a net benefit to the U.S. economy has been a major source of contention, even as the research literature and thinking among economists has been quite clear. A strong body of research and consensus by most economists finds that immigration, on balance, is a net positive for the U.S. economy. This explainer walks through the issues.

Video
April 19, 2023

Career and Technical Education as a Bridge to High School English Learner Success

This webinar, marking the launch of a report, looks at career and technical education programs and federal, state, and school district policies that support English Learners' inclusion in these programs.

World of Migration episode 6 tile
Expert Q&A, Audio
November 12, 2021

Leveraging the Benefits That Immigration Can Bring

In this World of Migration podcast episode, MPI Senior Fellow Michael Fix speaks with Senior Policy Analyst Julia Gelatt about the fiscal impacts of immigration, the importance of immigrant integration, how a greater focus on credential recognition could allow immigrants to more fully utilize the academic and professional skills they bring with them, and much more.

Audio
June 24, 2021

Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States: A Persistent Problem with Increasing Costs

During this webcast, experts discuss findings from a report examining at U.S. and state levels the underemployment of college graduates by nativity and by race and ethnicity, in the process revealing patterns of economic inequality.

flickr Seattle OIRA August 2015 Ready to Work Graduation Celebration Credit Nate Gowdy Photography
Video, Audio
January 23, 2020

Employment Services for Refugees: Leveraging Mainstream U.S. Systems and Funding

On this webinar, experts and state refugee resettlement program leaders discuss activities that can be key parts of a broader strategy for sustaining and improving employment services for refugees, including partnerships with experts in workforce development strategies, access to federal workforce development funding, and other policies and resources.

2019.5.17 EVENT PHOTO Mexicans in Texas
Video, Audio
May 9, 2019

A Mirror for the Nation? The Changing Profile of Mexican Immigrants in Texas

At this discussion, experts from MPI and Southern Methodist University’s Texas-Mexico Center offer an overview of trends and key characteristics of highly skilled Mexican adults at the national level and for Texas, including educational levels by legal status and top industries of employment across Texas metro areas. They also discuss the policy implications of these findings.

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Recent Activity

Reports
May 2026

Adult English Instruction at Risk: The Threat of Federal Funding Cuts and Potential State Responses

Adult education programs play an important part in helping immigrant adults learn English and, in doing so, integrate into U.S. communities and the workforce. In many states, much of the funding for these programs comes from the federal government. This report examines states’ varied vulnerability to potential funding cuts, as well as opportunities to build stronger, more sustainable programs. 

Short Reads
January 2026

Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration

A move by the Trump administration to limit immigrants' use of federal programs stands to significantly destabilize the U.S. adult education system, which has helped millions of immigrant adults learn English and build foundational skills. In the process, this will harm the White House's stated desire to help immigrants learn English, build skills, and integrate into U.S. society, as this short read outlines. 

Reports
September 2025

All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families

Immigrants comprise 15 percent of Connecticut’s population, and nearly 30 percent of children in the state are part of immigrant families. Having driven all state population and workforce growth over the last 15 years, immigrants are an important part of Connecticut’s present and its future. This report examines state policies and systems that aim to support upward mobility for all families, highlighting ways in which they could better meet the needs of low-income immigrant families.

Policy Briefs
March 2025

Set Up for Success: Supporting Immigrant Youth Through the Workforce Development System

Young people’s transition to adulthood has important implications for their long-term career prospects and for the U.S. economy. This policy brief examines how workforce development programs, and particularly the WIOA Youth program, support immigrant youth alongside their U.S.-born peers, noting promising practices as well as persistent challenges in an era when immigrant-origin individuals are driving labor force growth.

Policy Briefs
November 2024

Understanding Obstacles to Foreign Qualification Recognition for Key U.S. Early Childhood Education and Care Positions

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems across the United States are grappling with worker recruitment and retention challenges. At the same time, immigrants with relevant education and work experience obtained abroad often find it difficult to gain recognition for those qualifications. This policy brief highlights strategies for improving hiring and licensing processes in the ECEC field.

Short Reads
November 2024

The Overlooked Impact of Immigration on the Size of the Future U.S. Workforce

Immigrant-origin individuals have been the driving force behind U.S. demographic growth in the United States over the past two decades. Changing immigration policy could significantly influence how this population helps the country manage its demographic shifts and rising old-age dependency ratio. This short read and accompanying data tool offer first-ever projections of the size of the immigrant-origin working-age population to 2040 under varying immigration scenarios.

Explainers
October 2024

Explainer: Immigrants and the U.S. Economy

The question of whether immigration represents a net cost or a net benefit to the U.S. economy has been a major source of contention, even as the research literature and thinking among economists has been quite clear. A strong body of research and consensus by most economists finds that immigration, on balance, is a net positive for the U.S. economy. This explainer walks through the issues.

Short Reads
August 2024

Beyond the “Black Jobs” Controversy: Immigrants and U.S.-Born Black Workers Share a Growing Jobs Pie

The controversy over whether immigrants have taken "Black jobs" obscures the reality that U.S. job growth has been such that foreign-born workers' growing share of the U.S. labor market and expanded presence across industries do not appear to have occurred at the expense of U.S.-born Black workers. This commentary offers analysis of the U.S. prime-age workforce going back to 1990 by race and nativity.

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