An example model of “refugization”? Recruitment mechanisms and composition of the immigrant workforce in Trentino agriculture

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO
Author/s Francesco Della Puppa, Serena Piovesan
Publishing Year 2023 Issue 2023/165 Language Italian
Pages 25 P. 226-250 File size 241 KB
DOI 10.3280/SL2023-165011
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The paper investigates the transformations of the agricultural labor market in Trentino and the changes in the forms of recruitment and organization of the migrant workforce and its composition. Fruit cultivation, especially apples, is one of the most important economic activities in Trentino and is structurally based on migrant work, especially from eastern EU countries. The recruitment of workers was based on the relationship of trust between employers and seasonal workers. This model begun to jam due to the redesign of the trajectories of EU migrant workers, who are moving towards central European countries. Thus, employers started to recruit refugees and asylum seekers, arrived in Trentino in recent years. In addition to these transformations, the paper analyzes the impact of the pandemic on international recruitment mechanisms and the organization of the migrant workforce.

Keywords: “Refugeesation” of the labour-force; Mediterranean model of immigration; Californian model of agriculture; Trentino.

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Francesco Della Puppa, Serena Piovesan, Un modello trentino di "rifugizzazione"? Meccanismi di reclutamento e composizione della forza lavoro immigrata nell’agricoltura del Trentino in "SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO " 165/2023, pp 226-250, DOI: 10.3280/SL2023-165011