Immigrants are the driving force behind Maryland’s workforce, the comptroller notes

New data shows that Maryland has a larger immigrant labor force than the U.S. average.

About 21% of the state’s workers are foreign-born, compared to a national average of 17%. Those foreign workers also fuel the state’s meager 2 percent labor force growth because they are more likely to participate in the labor market than native Marylanders. The state has an unemployment rate of 2.4% and has about three job openings available for every worker, one of the highest rates in the country.

If there had been no immigrants, the study found that Maryland would also have experienced a population loss for the third year in a row by 2023. Maryland, like other high-cost-of-living states, has experienced a net population loss over the past five years. Over the course of 2022, the state lost 31,000 residents but welcomed 33,000 international migrants.

As of 2022, Maryland had more than one million foreign-born residents: 26.7% of the state’s total population.

Healthcare and STEM were two areas with some of the highest populations of immigrant workers: 23% of the state’s registered nurses were foreign-born. And while these areas had some of the highest numbers of foreign-born workers, they are also areas where many face restrictions due to visa requirements or a lack of recognizable certifications from their native country, making it difficult to fill the labor shortage to fill up.

“Many healthcare jobs, including all clinical positions, require industry-recognized certifications and often frequent recertifications,” the report authors wrote. “Typically, qualification does not flow smoothly between countries, and employers are often reluctant to hire healthcare professionals with degrees from institutions abroad. Both are a barrier to employment.”

Immigrants are also likely to be overrepresented in dangerous jobs such as construction, the report found. In March, six workers patching potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore were killed when a freighter struck the bridge, causing it to collapse.

The vast majority of Maryland’s foreign-born workers entered the country through legal visas or other lawful noncitizen status, the comptroller’s office reported.

The report also revealed systemic weaknesses. For example, five percent of jobs in Maryland are federal and require naturalization – meaning they must become U.S. citizens. The same goes for people who work on government contracts.

Pablo Blank leads immigrant integration for CASA, an immigrant advocacy group based in Montgomery County, MD. Blank estimates there are about 140,000 immigrants in the state who are eligible for naturalization.

“But they don’t do that because they can’t afford it or because they lack the knowledge. So those are barriers,” he said.

The report profiled an employee who could not work for government contracts because he was a green card holder. During that time, he was stuck making $18 an hour; after he was naturalized, he earned $38 an hour working on government contracts and using the same skills as before.

And while STEM and healthcare are fields with the highest numbers of foreign-born workers, they are also fields where many face restrictions due to visa requirements or a lack of recognizable certifications from their home country.

For example, visa restrictions and a lack of recognizable certifications prevent many foreign-born workers from working in healthcare, security and STEM, where the state faces a labor shortage.

“Many healthcare jobs, including all clinical positions, require industry-recognized certifications and often frequent recertifications,” the report authors wrote. “Typically, qualification does not flow smoothly between countries, and employers are often reluctant to hire healthcare professionals with degrees from institutions abroad. Both are a barrier to employment.”

There are a number of things Maryland can do to further support a crucial part of the state’s workforce, Blank said.

“English lessons would be good, stricter controls on OSHA regulations, and helping those who need documentation to get a green card… would help an individual reach their maximum potential,” he suggested.

The top five countries of origin for immigrants in Maryland are:

El Salvador (11.7%)

India (6.3%)

China (4.7%)

Nigeria (4.7)

Guatemala (4%)