AUTHORS: The LaMP Team

As increasing labor shortages continue to spread across Europe, employers intensify their calls for policies allowing them to fill the vacancies – and with summer in full swing, especially in sectors with seasonal need. This trend is apparent in a number of major European economies, with German, Italian and UK farmers stressing the need for more workers and the Portuguese worker shortage in the tourism sector threatening the country’s economic recovery.  

In the midst of these labor shortages, Spain has approved a reform to streamline and improve its seasonal worker scheme  – a move that may offer an example to other European governments facing similar issues.  

AUTHORS: REBEKAH SMITH, ZUZANA CEPLA, SALVATORE PETRONELLA

FAVORITE MESSAGE: 

Predictability is an essential element for the private sector to engage in sustaining safe and legal pathways for migrant workers. This seemingly simple idea has, however, proven to be challenging to accomplish in practice.

It is crucial to bring “doers” and “practitioners” on board to help develop actual practical solutions to address this as well as other labor mobility issues. 

AUTHORS: MELISSA SAUCEDO, KIM GERONIMO

FAVORITE QUOTE: 

“Collaboration and solidarity among workers are important for the success of the [H2A] program. However, the higher the debt a worker takes on to migrate, the more likely they are to abscond.” – AGUND member and aspiring H2A visa applicant  

“What we are looking for is a legal and equal opportunity for work.” – female AGUND member and aspiring H2A visa applicant   

AUTHORS: ROB ROGERS, KIM GERONIMO

Responsible recruitment has a cash flow problem. In this blog, we present the problem and some ideas about solutions that tie access to finance to responsible practices. Rewarding ethical recruitment by solving cash flow constraints may tip the scales in favor of responsible firms, who have historically struggled to scale. 

AUTHORS: MELISSA SAUCEDO, KIM GERONIMO

FAVORITE QUOTE: 

“I have seen how Zacapoaxtla [a nearby town that regularly sends seasonal workers to the U.S.] has grown in the last years – I want to go to the U.S. to work hard, so more workers from my town get recruited, and it grows the way Zacapoaxtla has.”  

– first-time seasonal worker  
 

Originally published on Policy Options August 19, 2021 here.

Special note: This post was originally written for a Canadian audience, therefore the language within this article reflects the labor mobility challenges faced by their country.

AUTHORS: Ratna Omidvar and Zuzana Cepla

Labour shortages and aging demographics mean we’re relying on migrants to fill critical jobs. We need a streamlined program to meet these demands.