Seasonal employees from eastern Europe in German horticulture: Role and recent developments in the context of EU expansion

Seasonal employees from eastern Europe constitute an important factor in German horticultural production. From 1991 until 2005 the number of seasonal employees increased from 90,000 to 300,000 people. Production of specific crops like strawberries and asparagus is highly dependent on the availability of seasonal employees. Recent developments in policy are likely to affect the sustainable supply of seasonal employees. Due to the eastern expansion of the EU, citizens of an increasing number of countries were allowed to work in Germany for a strictly defined time period as seasonal employees. Starting in 2006, employer associations and horticultural businesses reported a decrease in the availability of seasonal employees. The reasons were the EU expansion that allowed certain former seasonal employees to search for and find employment in different sectors, on one hand, and a German law enacted with the objective of providing access to work for unemployed people in Germany, on the other hand. Recent laws and regulations will change the situation again in the upcoming season 2012. Potential impacts of the decreasing availability of eastern European seasonal employees can be higher wages, lower taxes, or a rise in informal employment. The first two would likely result in a more sustainable workforce supply in German horticulture, whereas the latter will result a greater vulnerability.