The European Commission has published new reports on how EU countries are applying two sets of rules affecting migrant workers — the Employers Sanctions Directive and the Seasonal Workers Directive.
The two directives set common EU rules on hiring seasonal migrant workers legally and penalising employers who hire people without the right to stay and work in the EU, the European Commission said in a statement on Friday.
EU countries carried out almost 600,000 targeted workplace inspections in high-risk sectors in 2024 under the Employers Sanctions Directive.
The inspections led to the detection of more than 28,000 additional irregular migrant workers across 2023 and 2024.
Financial penalties imposed on employers who hired irregular migrants exceeded €200 million per year in both 2023 and 2024.
Implementation of the Employers Sanctions Directive remained “fragmented” between member states.
Seasonal work rules and next steps
The Seasonal Workers Directive, in force since 2014, sets out rules for the admission of non-EU nationals coming for short-term work in sectors such as agriculture and tourism, the Commission said.
It added that the framework has created more streamlined legal routes for seasonal labour mobility since it entered into force, and it will continue monitoring how the rules are applied across the EU.
An evaluation of the Employers Sanctions Directive is due to be launched in 2026 to assess whether it is still fit for purpose and how it could be made more effective.
When the mandate of the European Labour Authority is revised later this year, the Commission said it will review how the Authority can further address abuses of migrants’ working conditions, alongside support for member states through additional funding and measures to promote cooperation, data exchange and shared best practices.
