Seasonal Workers in Agriculture: The Cases of Spain and The Netherlands in Times of Covid-19

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter revisits the debate on the South-North divide on migration regimes by comparing the cases of Spain and the Netherlands with regard to migrant seasonal workers in agriculture, with a particular attention to their situation before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting from Pastore’s (Comp Migr Stud 2(4):385–415, 2014) concept of the governance of Migrant Labour Supply (MLS), we consider to what extent Spain and the Netherlands are as different as expected. Based on the research conducted for the EC funded H2020 project ADMIGOV, we conclude that differences are not as relevant. Indeed, in both cases seasonal labour demands were covered initially by recently arrived immigrants, in a later stage by immigrants already in the country and in the last years also by Eastern European workers that can go back and forth without the constraints imposed by international borders. In both cases, we see convergence towards a major de-regulation of the sector, particularly due to the increasing use of temp agencies. The conclusions address the role of the state (and the different actors involved) in the governance of MLS in agriculture and whether the Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant structural changes in this field.