Marcus O'Brien’s Post

Consider this: when we compare the economic status of foreigners and the Irish population, we see that foreigners have a higher participation rate in the labour market (73.6% versus 59.9% of natives). However, this doesn’t translate to better living conditions. The percentage of the foreign population not in the labour force is also lower than the native population (26.6% versus 37.7%), and foreigners have low unemployment rates too. (according to the PBO’s Spring Commentary 2024) https://lnkd.in/e7avSAWQ

Canadian farmers feed cities in Canada and all over the world, but they certainly don't do it alone. Every year tens of thousands of workers from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America come to Canada as a part of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, which allows them to work for up to 8 months in Canada before being sent home at the end of the harvest season (right about now). In fact: "Migrant workers comprised nearly one-quarter of all agricultural workers in Canada in 2021, according to Statistics Canada. More than 61,000 migrant workers were employed in Canada’s agriculture sector that year, an increase of almost 12 per cent from 2020." However, the Toronto Star article notes that issues have been raised with the program and the treatment of workers: "For their part, industry observers are warning that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is establishing a growing second tier of workers without the same rights and protections resident workers have, resulting in mistreatment of migrant workers... “There are agriculture workers who’ve been migrating to Canada for decades and for their entire working careers, who have no status in the country,” she said. “But the minute they get sick, the minute they’re injured, they’re out of here.” As Joshua, a worker quoted in the article said: “The fact that we’re being brought here from miles away means that we, and our work, is needed,” he said. “The work that one of us does here is equivalent to three people. We have to work 10 times as fast, 10 times as hard and they (employers) get way more production and have to pay less for it.” “So it’s not too much to ask for a bit of decency and justice.” #Farmers #FarmWorkers #Workers #Agriculture #TemporaryForeignWorkers #Work #Food #Canada #Fairness #Respect #RandomMusings

The National Food Supply Chain Alliance estimates that our food supply chain is short of over 170,000 workers. Alliance members have called on the government to urgently increase visa pathways for migrants to close that gap. There may be a source closer to home. We know that overall unemployment is still very low - around 3.6% at the time of writing - with labour shortages in many parts of our economy. Not much relief in sight there. On the other hand, youth unemployment, while down from historic highs from a couple of years ago, is still more than double the overall rate. It’s running at over 7%. Who falls into that category? People between the ages of 15-24 who are looking for work but can’t find it, excluding the long-term unemployed and full-time students. Many of these potential employees might lack the skills and experience employers usually prefer. But if they bring the right attitude, willingness to learn and can be given relevant training, maybe they can be part of the solution to ease the labour pressures all logistics businesses are grappling with. How many people aged 24 and younger do you have in your workforce? #Labourforce #supplychain #logistics #staffing Labourforce is the leading supply chain and logistics labour-hire firm in Australia and New Zealand. Want to make sure you stay on top of everything that’s happening in our industry? Follow us here: https://lnkd.in/g46B7C99

An important read, to see the results of the Pacific Labour Mobility Survey conducted by The World Bank and The Development Policy Centre. It is an opportunity to be able to understand the positive impact the Scheme makes but also where we can continue to improve.

The federal government is looking to roll out a new temporary foreign worker regime starting next year that would add protections for workers and simplify the current program. Key features are "likely" to include: •Introducing sector-specific work permits that give workers job mobility within a sector for up to two years; •Granting employers permits to hire workers to fill reoccurring seasonal work over a two-year period; •Reforming the existing wage and deduction structure to better reflect current housing rates and employer costs; •Updating employer-provided housing requirements to ensure greater protections and safety to workers.

Seasonal employment schemes like the RSE (NZ) and PALM (Australia) have long been touted as win-win. By contrast, in this piece in The Conversation, Apisalome Movono, Sophie Auckram and I argue that NZ and Australia are now systematically undermining development in Pacific island countries like Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. The reality is that NZ and Australia are extracting increasingly large numbers of skilled and semi-skilled workers from important social and economic sectors in the Pacific, which is impacting negatively on sectors like agriculture, education, health, trades and tourism in the region. We argue that New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade need to seriously reflect on the policy incoherence here - on the one hand spending millions on development and resilience building in the Pacific, and on the other hand support depletion of human capabilities, as well as impacting negatively on family and community life. Eliala Fihaki Charlotte Bedford Toleafoa Alfred Schuster Tracie Mafile'o Litea Meo-Sewabu Paul Davis Oikoumene M-Chan Tung Read on and please comment with your thoughts and experiences! #RSE #PALM #seasonalemployees #Pacific #development #resilience #MFAT #DFAT

Last Friday, I attended a seminar presenting the work of Andrea Borello at De Burcht. Her piece about migrant workers' subjectivity especially resonated with me. One of her main findings is that migrant workers in the sectors she studied in Denmark (logistics, agro-industry), did not mind inequality in the material sense, but more keenly felt a sense of injustice over personal slights. That is, they did not mind concrete economic inequality - e.g. a difference in wages, but did mind that they were made to feel inferior ("yeah, we are now donkeys", "he called me a dick and a slave"). In my own research on domestic workers on TikTok, I encountered literature on the function of humiliation. In this literature, humiliation made workers less likely to resist their subordination by accepting their inferior status. That is, these personal slights which reinforce hierarchy, function to discipline labour and reproduce unequal material conditions. I had recently reviewed a piece about domestic worker organizing in Spain. The researcher found that out of her 67 respondents, only 1 joined an organization. That is, only 1 worker out 67 resisted, even under democratic conditions where workers could freely exercise freedom of association, as in Spain. Finally, one of the points raised in the discussion was the distinction between bargaining over economic and political gains. I also encountered the same distinction in the Spanish case. In the latter, the domestic worker organization, whose membership comprised mostly of migrants, was more successful in making political rather than economic claims. What does this tell us? Firstly, that these two aspects (political and economic) are inter-related. Secondly, political subjectivity, that is the understanding of oneself as an actor who makes political claims, is essential in making concrete economic demands. Thirdly, the mere existence of unions or other "infrastructures" of worker mobilisation, is no guarantee that workers will immediately join. Lastly, the concrete practices of "empowerment" in which many domestic worker organisations engage, may be oriented specifically to counter the effects of humiliation. (Thanks to Lisa Berntsen for the invite.) 

🌏 New Chapter in Labour Mobility: Launch of the PALM Scheme Family Pilot by the Albanese Government 👪 This week heralds a significant development in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, with the Albanese Government introducing a family accompaniment pilot. This initiative is set to benefit 200 PALM scheme workers, initially focusing on long-term employees from Kiribati and Timor-Leste, by allowing them to bring their families to Australia. 🤝 The government's responsive approach aims to mitigate the challenges of family separation for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers residing in Australia for extended durations. This thoughtful initiative not only seeks to reunite families but also aims to strengthen the ties between Australia and these regions. 💼 The pilot recognizes and values the critical contributions made by PALM scheme workers to key sectors and communities across Australia, acknowledging their role in the nation's economic fabric. 📈 In fulfilment of its election commitment, the Albanese Government is actively working to broaden and enhance the scope of the PALM scheme. Notably, the number of PALM workers in Australia has almost doubled since the government's election in 2022. 🌍 This scheme offers mutual benefits, addressing labour shortages in Australian regions while providing skill-building opportunities and financial benefits through remittances to Pacific countries. 📅 The initial selection phase for the pilot will run from 26 January to 23 February 2024, with a subsequent round scheduled for later in the year. #PALMScheme #FamilyReunification #AlbaneseGovernment #PacificAustraliaLabourMobility #LaborMigration #GlobalWorkforce #CommunityEngagement #EconomicDevelopment #PolicyInnovation #WorkforceDiversity #InternationalRelations #SkillDevelopment

The history of International Labour Day in Mauritius is closely intertwined with the island's labour movement and its struggle for workers' rights and social justice. The labour movement in Mauritius has deep roots dating back to the 19th century when the island was under colonial rule. The sugar industry was the backbone of the Mauritian economy, and it relied heavily on indentured labourers, many of whom were brought from India and Africa. As the sugar industry expanded, so did the labour force, leading to the formation of trade unions to represent the interests of workers. These early unions advocated for better wages, improved working conditions, and an end to exploitative practices. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, workers in Mauritius engaged in strikes, protests, and other forms of collective action to demand their rights. These actions often led to clashes with colonial authorities and employers but also contributed to the gradual improvement of labour conditions. Over the years, Labour Day celebrations in Mauritius have evolved to reflect the changing dynamics of the labour movement. While the sugar industry remains significant, workers from various sectors, participate in Labour Day events to advocate for their rights. Labour Day serves as a platform for workers to address their challenges and push for policies that promote fair labour practices, social protection, and economic justice. The history of Labour Day in Mauritius is a testament to the resilience and solidarity of the island's labour movement in the face of adversity, and it continues to be an important occasion for workers to come together and advocate for their rights ✅ #Mauritius #LabourDay  #May1st  #Workers  #Resilience

Delighted that this came out today as an online first article! I started this project back in 2017 thanks to a comment and suggestion from Nancy Bermeo. Everyone such as the European Commission, the IMF, governments etc. seem to be concerned with improving efficient labour reallocation but we know little about what helps it. In this article, I argue that social safety net such as unemployment benefits, as opposed to common belief, does not inhibit labour reallocation and efficiency in the labour market. On the opposite, it helps the labour movement. 'Cheap labour' such as a big share of temporary workers and immigrant workers, on the other hand, dualise the labour market and harm efficient labour reallocation. Those who are concerned with labour market efficiency should therefore extend the protection to all groups equally and build a strong safety net.