Greece Requires 180,000 Agricultural Workers, Exporters Urge Eased Entry Requirements

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Exporters urge Greek authorities to ease hiring requirements for third-country nationals.
2. Agricultural worker shortages cause significant economic losses for farmers and Greece.
3. Greece recently agreed with Egypt to bring in 5,000 Egyptian seasonal workers this year.

Exporters Call for Eased Entry Requirements Amid Agricultural Worker Shortage in Greece

Exporters in Greece are pressing authorities to relax entry requirements for hiring foreign agricultural workers, facing a shortage of 180,000 workers in the sector.

The deficit of agricultural labor is leading to uncultivated land and unharvested produce, resulting in substantial losses for farmers and the Greek economy. The National Interprofessional Organization for Table Olives (DOEPEL) reported that 30% of green olives from the 2022/23 season remained unharvested, causing agricultural revenue to drop by nearly €27 million and insurance contribution losses exceeding €2 million.

Exporters propose adopting a French model, which involves easing hiring criteria for third-country nationals. Greece has received 14,000 applications for work residence permits following a recent amendment, with expectations of this number surpassing 30,000.

Greece Reaches Agreement with Egypt for Seasonal Workers

To address labor shortages, Greece has secured an agreement with Egypt to bring in 5,000 Egyptian seasonal workers for the agricultural sector this summer. The electronic platform for employers to submit applications for Egyptian workers has been active on Greece’s Migration and Asylum Ministry’s website since June 10, 2024.

Greek Minister of Migration Dimitris Kairidis announced that the first list of 2,400 qualified seasonal workers from Egypt has been prepared in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Labour. However, this initiative is seen as insufficient, as the demand for seasonal workers in regions like Crete, Peloponnese, and Macedonia is estimated to reach 80,000.

The Prefecture of Messinia alone requires about 4,800 agricultural workers for the entire cultivation period (nine months), according to Aggelis Korovilas, president of the Agricultural Association of Philiatrians of Messinia.

For 2023 and 2024, Greece plans to allocate 147,926 residence permits for third-country national workers across 13 regions. In addition, Greece is considering integrating irregular migrants to ease labor shortages in construction, agriculture, and tourism, as stated by Minister Kairidis in September 2023.