procedures for essential workers

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BOX 4.3 Interventions introduced during the pandemic to simplify hiring procedures for essential workers

European countries have introduced exemptions to ensure a continued supply of workers in certain categories. Despite the general restrictions, most European Union (EU) countries identified sectors as essential that justified continued admission during the COVID-19 crisis. Occupations that were typically considered key were (a) health care professionals, health researchers, and eldercare professionals; (b) transport personnel engaged in haulage of goods and other transport staff; and (c) seasonal agricultural workers (EC 2020a).

The pandemic further exposed the need for health workers and the possibility for migrants to fill those positions. For example, a 2001 Italian law permits only nationals, EU citizens, permanent residents, or recognized refugees to work in public hospitals. However, in early 2020, the government issued a new decree (the Cura Italia Decree)a that opened these public medical jobs to any regular foreigner with a work permit (Gostoli 2020). Similarly, Spain sped up the processes of recognizing foreign doctors’ and nurses’ professional qualifications and of granting visas for immigrants—including asylum seekers with pending cases—in these health care professions.

Countries worldwide took additional actions to quickly fill emerging shortages with foreign workers already in or outside the country. Germany, for example, expedited the procedure for hiring high-skilled workers. Particularly, young people finishing vocational training programs and university could be hired more quickly and stay in the country amid mobility restrictions. Likewise, the United States waived the in-person interview requirement for seasonal guest workers and extended the length of time these workers are allowed to remain in the country. Similarly, aware of potential labor shortages, Finland increased the number of third-country nationals admitted to work in agricultural jobs and opened those opportunities to asylum seekers with minimal bureaucratic delays.

Source: Moroz, Shrestha, and Testaverde 2020. a. Italian Law Decree No. 18 of 2020.

Action 4: Automatically expand migrants’ access to health care and social welfare during crises Including migrants in new programs introduced during crises or waiving eligibility requirements in existing programs are effective strategies to improve access to health care and social protection in the midst of crises. The report shows that some but not all receiving countries in the extended Mediterranean region give migrants

124 b U ilding resilient migr A tion s Y stems in t H e mediterr A ne A n region

access to health care and social welfare services (as detailed in chapter 2). Even where access is granted, some eligibility requirements and bureaucratic procedures may leave a portion of the migrant population uncovered or discourage timely use of key services.

For this reason, establishing mechanisms to allow easy access to health care and social welfare programs to all migrants during crises is important to limit risks for all. Automatically covering migrants in new programs introduced during crisis periods is a first strategy to reach this objective. Waiving eligibility requirements that prevent migrants from accessing standard health care and social welfare programs is another option that could be implemented in case of unexpected shocks.

Various restrictions could be automatically lifted during crises. One such restriction is the “minimum stay” requirement that limits migrants who arrived recently in a country from accessing social welfare and other services. Similar waivers could be considered for undocumented migrants, who have often limited access to health care and social welfare in the extended Mediterranean region. Examples of specific initiatives to include migrants in health and social welfare responses during the COVID-19 pandemic are presented in box 4.4. Ensuring that these initiatives are automatically triggered in response to shocks could help countries react quickly and limit the negative repercussions that crises may have on both migrants and local communities.

Action 5: Extend access to employment retention and promotion policies to migrants during crises Employment retention and promotion policies could mitigate the negative health and economic impacts of crises by helping migrants stay employed and helping employers to resume full production more rapidly. Employment retention policies incentivize employers to keep their existing workforces, while employment promotion policies help job seekers to find jobs and employers to find workers.

Extending employment retention and promotion policies to migrants during crises would be important for two reasons: First, these measures can protect migrants from economic shocks that could result in health risks. Second, extending these measures to migrants would allow employers to restore production more quickly because they would reduce turnover and allow employers to benefit from the contributions of migrants who have already developed firm-specific experience and skills.

Emerging evidence suggests that in countries with job retention and training schemes, young migrants experienced lower increases in unemployment and inactivity (OECD 2021). Employment retention policies that could be effective during times of crisis include deductions in social insurance contributions or employment subsidies. Job matching and job search programs are relevant employment promotion policies that can help migrant workers displaced during crises to fill labor shortages resulting from mobility disruptions. Box 4.5 provides examples of initiatives implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.