New Mexico is at a pivotal moment of transformation and growth for its workforce thanks to recent historic federal investments, especially in the infrastructure sector. However, in towns like Hobbs, New Mexico, immigrant workers’ access to training programs remains very limited. Despite their significant contributions to the economy, immigrant workers are often excluded from workforce opportunities that lead to economic mobility.
Immigrants in New Mexico—and across the country—participate in the labor force at higher rates than their U.S.-born counterparts. Yet, many are concentrated in low-wage jobs due to systemic barriers to workforce development opportunities. In Hobbs, many immigrant workers are left with few options outside the oil and gas industry, which can be unstable, physically demanding, and limiting for long-term career growth.
To better understand what immigrant workers need to thrive, National Skills Coalition’s Voices for Skills Network partnered with Somos Un Pueblo Unido to hear directly from immigrant workers in Hobbs. Voices for Skills is dedicated to amplifying worker and student perspectives to shape workforce policies and raise awareness about the importance of workforce development investments. Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a statewide immigrant-led organization, advances worker and racial justice.
Most recently, NSC and Somos Un Pueblo Unido co-released a workforce playbook focused on expanding opportunities and breaking down economic barriers. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) present a major opportunity for New Mexico to reshape its workforce development system. The playbook urges policymakers to take decisive action, leverage federal funding, and prepare for a green economy—all while ensuring a diverse, multigenerational workforce is at the center of these efforts.
Workers Speak Out
During our visit to Hobbs, we heard from three workers determined to build better futures for themselves and their families. Each shared a common theme: a desire for access to training programs beyond the oil and gas industry so they can pursue stable, fulfilling jobs and careers.
Xiomara
A hardworking single mother of two from Chihuahua, Mexico, Xiomara currently cleans houses to make ends meet. She dreams of working in elder care in Hobbs, but training programs and supportive services—like child care and transportation—are not available in her community.
Originally trained as a nurse in Mexico, Xiomara’s only option when she arrived in New Mexico was to work in the oil fields. While she found the work rewarding, long hours and a lack of child care made it unsustainable.
As Xiomara shared, “I’m fighting for more money for these programs to be created. For our schools to help us to make it happen and have them create the programs that we actually need. Not only programs to work in the oil field.”
Alberto
Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, Alberto currently works as a cook but dreams of becoming a teacher and serving the Latino community in Hobbs. When he first arrived in New Mexico, he could only find work in the oil industry. However, as job opportunities in that industry became scarce, he had to switch careers and found work in a restaurant.
While grateful for his current job, Alberto wishes more training opportunities were available to help workers like him adapt to an evolving economy—so workers never get “stuck” in just one industry.
As Alberto pointed out, “By investing in skills training for people, we are able to not be stuck…the economy will move much faster and will be much more beneficial for everyone if everyone is up to date and knows a skill in a job. If you are constantly trained, the job will be easier.”
Cynthia Gabriela
Back in Mexico, Cynthia Gabriela ran a child care center. Since moving to New Mexico, she has hoped to continue working in child care and supporting families in her community. Through Somos Un Pueblo Unido, she was able to participate in a certification program. However, without access to licensing programs in Hobbs, she cannot legally practice her profession in the state.
She urges policymakers to invest in workforce development and expand training programs in Hobbs.
As Cynthia Gabriela shared, “We need all the resources. All the training programs need to reach here, working people need it. It’s a town that is forgotten. It’s a town where policymakers think that because we have oil, we’re good, but not all of us work on that. There are many limitations.”
