A total of 191,840 foreign nationals were granted authorisation for seasonal work to the EU in 2023, which is 22.6 per cent more than in 2022 and also the highest number ever recorded.
According to data published by Eurostat, the EU Office for Statistics, more people are coming to the EU as seasonal workers, and in the last five years, the number has risen by 70.3 per cent, Schengen.News reports.
The number of authorisations has increased even during the pandemic years – 2020 and 2021, a period during which travel was restricted, and job opportunities could be somewhat limited.
Over 41% of Temporary Work Authorisations Were Granted by Italy
Five EU countries have issued most residence permits for seasonal work in 2023, with Italy leading this list. The Italian government issued 73,536 authorisations, representing 41.5 per cent of the total number granted.
The second to follow was France, which issued 37,354 or 19.5 per cent of the total number, as Croatia ranked as the third country to issue the most authorisations for the year -17,869, representing 9.3 per cent.
Spain and Finland issued 12,554 and 7,842 authorisations for seasonal workers to foreign nationals, accounting for 6.5 and 4.1 per cent of all positive decisions issued in 2023, respectively. In total, 155,155 seasonal work authorisations were granted by these five countries, accounting for 80.8 per cent of the total number.
As per countries with the fewest authorisations granted, Belgium and Slovakia issued 99 and 42, respectively, while no authorisations for seasonal workers were issued in Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands.
Moroccans Obtained 30% of All Permits for Seasonal Work in 2023
Moroccans were granted 58,547 permits for temporary work during 2023, accounting for 30.5 per cent of all foreign nationals allowed to reside in the EU for seasonal work.
Bangladeshi were the second-largest group to obtain most authorisations – 29,249, which is 15.2 per cent of the total, followed by India (22,498, 11.7 per cent), Ukraine (8,693, 4.5 per cent) and Serbia (6,841, 3.6 per cent).
Countries with more seasonal work opportunities include Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Portugal, while Luxembourg has fewer positions for temporary work seekers. Austria and Finland also have fewer positions available, but during the winter season, these two countries have plenty of occupancies for seasonal workers.
Source: https://schengen.news/eu-issued-over-191000-seasonal-work-permits-moroccans-were-main-beneficiaries/
