Seasonal Migrants in The Northern European Agricultural Sector as An Example of a Modern Pre-cariat: Exploitation, Stereotypes, Challenges

Abstract

In this article, using the example of an analysis of open analytical and literary sources of the countries of North Europe (Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Sweden), including official publications, the authors attempted to analyze the situation of foreign workers in the agricultural sector of this macroregion in fragments. It is shown that the agricultural sector in Northern Europe is still a very labor-intensive industry with few requirements for formal skills and qualifi -cations, so it is not very attractive (especially in terms of routine work) for local residents, therefore the share of foreign workers in mass professions is very high and tends to grow stead-ily. The phenomenon of the gig economy was separately analyzed. The most signifi cant forms and methods of discrimination against the rights of migrants in the agricultural sector of Northern Europe were identifi ed. It is concluded that seasonal workers of the green industry are often extremely infringed upon guaranteeing the respect of their labor rights, are forced to take on casual, unreliable work without stable earnings and benefits, thus they can be considered as a standard example of a modern European precariat. The article shows that neoliberal labor markets and highly restrictive immigration regimes create a form of hyper-precariat.