Measures taken by the EU and OECD countries to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the employment of foreigners. Decrease of economic activity reduced the demand for work in the sectors where migrants are employed, such as tourism and hospitality sector. On the other hand, as a result of travel restrictions, several countries experienced labour shortages, particularly in seasonal agricultural work. The joint EMN and OECD Inform maps the situation of third-country nationals who planned to enter the EU and the migrants entering non-EU OECD countries aiming to be employed in essential sectors (healthcare, agriculture, etc.) as well as those already residing in the EU and other OECD countries.
This EU and OECD Inform examines whether foreign workers employed in certain sectors were exempted from restrictions adopted at the external and internal boarders of the EU and OECD countries. It also reviews measures implemented as a response to the COVID-19 crisis at the national level to facilitate the entry of foreigners into the territory of a Member State and their access to the labour market. The Inform also analyses the impact of the pandemic on the third-country nationals already residing in the EU and OECD countries as well as the undocumented migrants in the EU who have been offered a possibility to regularize their status for employment. Finally, given the importance of agriculture, the Inform focuses on the measures adopted for seasonal workers in this sector.
The main findings of the Inform indicate that most EU and OECD countries identified specific occupational sectors as essential or key which enabled continued admission of foreigners during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the countries introduced some exemptions from health measures for migrants employed in the identified sectors in order to facilitate entry into the territory and accelerate access to the labour market. Such exemptions included e.g. shorter or no quarantine periods or other alternatives to quarantine. Some states adopted measures in order to facilitate access to the labour market for the foreigners already residing in their territory with an aim to address labour shortages, especially in the sector of agriculture and healthcare. One of the findings shows that low skilled workers from the countries outside of the EU are over-represented in the occupations that play an important role in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the EU.
This Inform is part of the series of EMN and OECD Informs in the context of COVID-19 pandemic in the field of migration. It covers the developments in the EU Member States, Norway and the UK during the period between March and July 2020 and through August 2020 in the non-EU OECD countries.