Sectors in tension demand foreign workers to cover their seasonal labor needs

For a growing number of employers looking for seasonal labor, the solution now comes from abroad. In a decade, the use of this alternative has skyrocketed. According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior and the Directorate General for Immigration in France (DGEF), ten years ago only a thousand and a few residence permits were granted to foreign seasonal workers. This number gradually increased to more than 5,000 in the last year before the pandemic, 2019.

It is clear that the first post-Covid seasonal exercise is an opportunity for a practice explosion. Of more than 25,000 requests for authorization for seasonal work submitted since January 1, no less than 22,000 have been accepted, we can read in The Figaro.

A simplified work permit application procedure

Two factors explain in particular this increase in the hiring of foreign seasonal workers: on the one hand, the greater hiring difficulties in various sectors of activity as a result of the pandemic and, on the other hand, the recent reform of professional immigration.

Regarding this second point, the dematerialization of the work permit application procedure has simplified it and has led to a significant reduction in processing times from several months to a few days, according to the Ministry of the Interior cited by The Figaro.

Next increase in the number of Tunisian workers in hotels and restaurants

This improvement of the system benefits sectors of activity that are victims of the lack of structural attractiveness, such as agriculture or the hotel industry, which are struggling to recruit in this exit from the Covid crisis.

On the other side of the operation, it is the North African candidates who are doing well thanks to the binational agreements. Workers of Moroccan nationality thus account for three of the four applications for seasonal work permits accepted this year.

The Tunisian workforce could occupy a greater part in the coming months. Precisely, the Union of Trades and Hotel Industries (UMIH) is working on an agreement with this country to allow the hiring of no less than 2,000 foreign workers next year.