New York’s economy depends on immigrant workers. From hospitals to high-rises, foreign-born workers are filling urgent staffing gaps in critical industries like healthcare and construction, sectors already stretched thin by demographic shifts, aging populations, and a workforce that can’t keep up with demand.
Despite their essential contributions, we are underinvesting in these workers, leaving them without the resources to participate in and advance fully within our labor market. New York has a choice: invest in the economic backbone of our workforce or risk undermining our recovery and growth.
This is bigger than New York City. Lightcast’s latest national analysis shows that all labor force growth since 2019 has come from immigrants. U.S.-born workers have declined. Without immigration, the national labor supply would have fallen below pre-pandemic levels at a precarious time when healthcare, infrastructure, and essential services are already facing crippling shortages. The U.S. economy isn’t just benefitting from foreign-born workers; it’s depending on them.
And nowhere is that more true than in New York. As detailed in a recent report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, foreign-born workers now make up 44.3% of NYC’s total labor force, more than double the national share. Their contribution to the city’s economic output totaled $383 billion in 2022—an extraordinary impact that reflects the sheer scale and scope of immigrant labor in every corner of our economy.
In construction, where nearly 70% of NYC’s workforce is foreign-born, employers rely on immigrants to meet rising demand and complete critical infrastructure projects. In healthcare, immigrant workers are already central and will only become more so because New York is getting older. The number of residents aged 65 and older has surged to 1.43 million, a 53% increase since 2000, with another 25% growth expected by 2040. That means the demand for home health aides, nurses, and other care workers is skyrocketing while the labor supply is shrinking. One in four doctors, one in five registered nurses, and one in four health aides in the U.S. are foreign-born. Without them, our healthcare system simply does not function.
Organizations like La Colmena are supporting this vital workforce by providing immigrant day laborers, domestic workers, and others with job training, language skills, and leadership development. But despite the clear and growing need, funding for this work remains scarce. Thousands of immigrants are ready to work but lack the resources to enter formal employment. Meanwhile, businesses struggle to hire, and communities are left behind.
New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) and its 220+ members are building direct pipelines between immigrant talent and industries facing deep labor shortages. That’s why we support the Ready to Work Initiative – a strategic investment in workforce development designed to meet the region’s growing demand for specialized skills and training.
By equipping job seekers—whether longtime residents or newly arrived immigrants—with the tools they need for in-demand careers, the initiative strengthens our local workforce and opens the door to stable, upwardly mobile employment. At the same time, it helps businesses access the talent they need to stay competitive. A broad coalition of employers and industry associations is backing Ready to Work—recognizing its critical role in building a strong, resilient, and future-ready workforce.
New York cannot afford to ignore this talent—not now, not ever. The data is undeniable: immigrants are powering our most vital industries. We must act urgently to meet the demands of a rapidly changing population, drive long-term economic growth, and remain competitive. That means investing boldly and strategically in the people who are already building our city—and those ready to get to work.
Yesenia Mata is the executive director of La Colmena. Gregory J. Morris is the CEO of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition.
