Migrants Who Care: West Africans Working and Building Lives in U.S. Health Care

The book Migrants Who Care explores the role of immigrant labor from West Africa in the U.S. health and long-term care systems. It highlights the challenges these immigrants face in the labor market and their contributions as care workers. The book reveals the global, political, social, and economic factors that facilitate their entry into the health care labor force and illustrates how they understand their work in various occupational settings. It also highlights the transformative processes migrants undergo as they become produced, repackaged, and deployed as health care workers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 11 October 2023
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

The demand for paid care workers in home and institutional settings is on the rise, particularly as the U.S. population ages and healthcare needs become more complex. This book draws attention to the reserve of immigrant labor that is being called upon to meet this demand.

Migrants Who Care tells the little-known story of a group of English-speaking West African immigrants who have become integral to the U.S. health and long-term care systems. With high human capital and middle-class pre-migration backgrounds, these immigrants hail from countries as diverse as Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia. Despite facing blocked opportunities in the U.S. labor market, they work in various healthcare roles, including home health aides, certified nursing assistants, qualified disability support professionals, and licensed practical and registered nurses.

This book explores the global, political, social, and economic factors that have facilitated the entry of West African women and men into the health care labor force. It highlights their role as labor brokers who tap into their local ethnic and immigrant communities to channel co-ethnics to meet this labor demand. It also illustrates how West African care workers understand their work across various occupational settings and segments in the healthcare industry.

Furthermore, this book reveals the transformative processes migrants undergo as they become produced, repackaged, and deployed as health care workers after migration. It sheds light on the challenges they face, such as language barriers, cultural differences, and discrimination, as they navigate the healthcare system.

Ultimately, Migrants Who Care tells the very real and human story of an immigrant group overcoming tremendous obstacles to carve out a labor market niche in healthcare, providing some of the most essential and in-demand services. It underscores the importance of recognizing and valuing the contributions of immigrant workers in the healthcare industry and addressing the barriers they face to ensure their well-being and success.

Weight: 41g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978828988