‘I want to work’: can asylum seekers help the labour shortage in agriculture?

Tairos Dube is 34. Escaping persecution from the Mugabe-led regime in Zimbabwe, he has sought asylum in Ireland since October 2016. He is currently housed in the Montague hotel in Emo near Portlaoise while his asylum application is being processed. At home in Nembeline in Zimbabwe, Dube worked with his father on the family farm.

“We grew maize, beans, peanuts, sugar cane and other crops. We farmed cattle and goats. I used to rear 100 broiler chickens and sell them every few weeks. We lived off our farm at home.”

Dube’s father was murdered in 2012. Since arriving in Ireland in late 2016, Dupe has not worked as Irish law forbids him to do so. Speaking with Irish Country Living, he explained that his day-to-day is arduous and boring, something he was not used to.

“I was brought up at home to wake before sunrise and take a break at midday when you were tired. Here, some rise at midday because there is nothing to do”, he explained.

“We are not lazy people. We are hard workers. I want to work, we are ready to work. I wish everybody in this asylum could get a job. People do not want to be doing nothing.

“Some people have waited years for their application. It will be a dream come true if we get good news in the next few weeks.”

In 2017, the number of new asylum applications rose from almost 2,250 in 2016 to over 2,900. As of April of this year, there has already been 1,200 new applications. Of the almost 2,250 applicants in 2016, 72% of people were between the ages of 18 and 54, or working age. Individuals live off a weekly allowance of €21.60. The allowance for a child is also €21.60 per week.

Tairos Dupe is one of 5,350 asylum seekers living in direct provision centres in Ireland. As of April 2018, the 34 direct provision centres in 17 counties are operating at 96% capacity.

While the number of asylum seekers is rising, so is the labour requirement across agriculture. As Ireland’s economy improves, the ability to obtain labour in agriculture reduces.

Last June, a Teagasc report found that 6,000 workers will be needed for the dairy industry in the next 10 years. This year, the horticulture industry in Ireland will face a shortage of between 1,800 and 2,000 workers, excluding the sports turf industry, which also faces a shortage. Meat factories require upwards of 2,000 workers, with numerous plants citing difficulty in obtaining labour.

For this reason, the question must be asked, would the skills of the asylum seekers be better served in an industry that badly requires labour, rather than being idle in direct provision centres all day?

IFA horticulture executive Pat Farrell would be in favour of such a move. Speaking with Irish Country Living, he said: “If asylum seekers are willing and have suitable skills to work in horticulture, then it would be a great benefit to the industry.”

In February, the Supreme court ruled that the current ban on asylum seekers under section 16(3)(b) International Protection Act 2015 was unconstitutional. The changes mean that from 9 February 2018, asylum seekers were legally able to apply for jobs in Ireland under an intern measure until the date that Ireland can opt into the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive, which will be in June. This EU directive allows asylum seekers to obtain employment under certain conditions.

Under this new interim scheme, asylum seekers can access the employment permit system on the same basis as other non-EEA nationals. However, there are restrictions. The first is that the employment permit costs a minimum of €500 (bearing in mind they receive €21.60 a week). Secondly, they must apply for jobs with a salary of €30,000 per annum. Thirdly, asylum seekers are not permitted to work in certain sectors. This includes agriculture and horticulture, with regulation stating that they cannot work as a farmer, farm worker, agricultural machinery drivers, in horticultural trades, as gardeners and landscape gardeners, groundsmen and greenkeepers, as forestry workers and other general agriculture and fishing occupations not elsewhere classified.

The Department of Business Enterprise and Innovation confirmed to Irish Country Living that just one application has been received for the employment grant so far.

However, both the Department of Business Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Justice confirmed that the level of restricted access to the labour market will be far less once Ireland enters into the EU directive, with the Department of Justice stating: “The Minister has already indicated that the access will be significantly broader than that provided for under the interim arrangements.’

They continued: “The number of people who are eligible will be fluid as numbers of international protection applicants fluctuate. However, at this time, it is expected that around 3,000 applicants will be eligible to apply to enter the workplace when the directive comes into force.”

Whether this relates to agriculture or not was not confirmed, though the hopes are it will.

The extent of Ireland’s agricultural labour shortage was highlighted in recent weeks when Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys announced 800 work permits were to be made available to workers from outside the EEA to relieve labour pressures on certain parts of the agricultural industry. These included 500 in horticulture, 250 for meat factories and 50 for the dairy industry.

However, the current intern measure on asylum seekers bans them from working in such areas. As Ireland’s labour needs in these areas builds, the pressure on the Department to find labour for these sectors rises.

In June, when Ireland opts into the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive, the full extent of what asylum seekers can do in terms of employment will be known. The agricultural industry will eagerly await the decision. One would imagine that any relief to the labour shortage will be met positively.

It certainly won’t solve the labour shortage, but every bit of help is welcome. CL