labor market

• Germany

Changes to the EU Blue Card are set to make it easier to attract highly qualified workers from outside Europe. The new rules also give more rights to beneficiaries and their families.

• Denmark
• Syria

Migrants in Denmark could be forced to complete 37 hours' work a week in order to receive welfare benefits under a new government plan.

• Germany
• Syria

Syrians are the main beneficiaries of refugee protection in Germany, yet many are still forced to rely on state welfare to survive. New figures show that only around 35% of Syrians of working age are able to make a living.

• Italy

The Italian farm group Coldiretti has warned that nearly 50,000 workers could be lost during a critical phase of the harvest. The association has called for new rules on non-EU migrant workers and an extension of stay permits.

• France
• Sudan

A large French wine producer has started a project in collaboration with an association of former professional rugby players. The project provides training and seasonal jobs to refugees in the vineyards of Château Pédesclaux in southwestern France.

• United Kingdom

The UK is to launch a new visa system designed to make legal immigration easier for highly educated migrants, in particular those working in fields like finance, science, research and technology. The plans were, however, also criticized for being too elitist.

• Italy

Foreign worker employment in Italy has been hit by COVID harder than that of Italian workers, with a drop of 11.2% in non-EU worker employment in the second trimester of 2020 compared to the previous year. EU citizen employment meanwhile dropped by 8.2%.

• Switzerland

A new report by the UN's International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals that migrants earn up to 42% less than national workers in high-income countries, with women worse off than men. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely exacerbate the pay gap.

• Guinea
• Italy
• Libya

A year ago, Alpha Diallo's life changed. The 41-year-old refugee from Guinea started an internship at Leroy Merlin, one of more than 120 companies included in the UNHCR project 'Welcome: Working for Refugee Integration'.

• Italy

Italian authorities have uncovered systematic illegal labor exploitation of migrants on a farm in the Milan area. The farm and all its assets have been seized, and seven people are under investigation.

• Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to derail Germany's push to integrate its growing migrant population. Largely employed in the services sector, migrants face job loss, isolation and contracting the virus at a higher rate than natives. Foreign nationals even grapple with intensified racism due to the pandemic.

• Morocco
• Spain

Thousands of migrant strawberry pickers from Morocco are trapped in Spain. Local groups call it a humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, companies are trying to end their dependence on Moroccan workers.