Counteracting undeclared work
and labour exploitation of third-
country national workers
Petra van Nierop, Lisa Schönenberg
and Petar Terziev
With contributions from Almina Besic,
Karolina Jakubowska, Norma Rose,
Ruslan Stefanov, Daniela Mineva
January 2021
LEGAL NOTICE
Neither the Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might
be made of the following information.
The information contained does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission.
This document is part of the work programme 2019-2020 of the European Platform tackling undeclared work
established through Decision (EU) 2016/344. It does not necessarily reflect the position of the Platform.
For any use of material which is not under the European Union copyright, permission must be sought directly
from the copyright-holder(s) indicated.
This publication has received financial support from the European Union Programme for Employment and Social
Innovation "EaSI" (2014-2020). For further information please consult: http://ec.europa.eu/social/easi
Table of contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 1
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 6
1.1 Purpose of the report ................................................................................. 6
1.2 Method .................................................................................................... 8
2 AN OVERVIEW ON LEGAL MIGRATION AND IRREGULARLY STAYING THIRD-COUNTRY
NATIONALS .......................................................................................................... 9
3 POLICY FRAMEWORK ADDRESSING UNDECLARED WORK AND LABOUR
EXPLOITATION ..................................................................................................... 12
3.1 EU framework relevant in addressing undeclared work amongst third-country
nationals ..........................................................................................................12
3.2 Policies affecting the situation of third-country workers .................................15
4 LABOUR EXPLOITATION AND DIFFERENT FORMS OF IRREGULARITY ..................... 17
4.1 Framing the understanding of labour exploitation in this report ......................17
4.2 Different ways of engaging in undeclared work amongst non-EU national and
their relation to labour exploitation ......................................................................19
4.3 Profile 1: Regularly staying third-country nationals with fully flexible work
authorisations ...................................................................................................22
4.4 Profile 2: Third-country nationals with a restricted work authorisation.............23
4.5 Profile 3 Irregularly residing third-country nationals and third-country nationals
without a right to work .......................................................................................26
5 DIFFERENT PATHWAYS INTO UNDECLARED WORK AND LABOUR EXPLOITATION .... 28
5.1 Third-country nationals at greatest risk .......................................................28
5.2 Recruitment into undeclared work and labour exploitation differs between
sectors .............................................................................................................33
5.3 Sectors with a high share of undeclared work and illegal employment .............34
6 COOPERATION OF ACTORS TACKLING UNDECLARED WORK AND LABOUR
EXPLOITATION ..................................................................................................... 42
6.1 A central role of enforcement authorities in addressing undeclared work, illegal
employment and labour exploitation.....................................................................42
6.2 A strong need for cooperation between public authorities to address undeclared
work amongst third-country nationals ..................................................................43
6.3 Social partners and NGOs provide crucial links to migrants ............................46
7 COMMON MEASURES BY ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES, NGOS AND SOCIAL
PARTNERS TO ADDRESS UNDECLARED WORK AND LABOUR EXPLOITATION ............... 48
7.1 Preventative measures targeted at third-country nationals and their employers ...50
7.2 Main measures of enforcement authorities to deter undeclared work by migrants .55
8 ROUTES OUT OF UNDECLARED WORK AND EXPLOITATION .................................. 63
8.1 Access to justice and repayment of wages ...................................................63
8.2 Granting protection for victims of labour exploitation ....................................64
8.3 Regularisation as a way to transfer undeclared work into declared work ..........65
9 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................... 67
10 REFFERENCES ................................................................................................ 71
ANNEX 1: LIST OF CONSULTEES ............................................................................ 80
ANNEX 2: GLOSSARY ............................................................................................ 81
ANNEX 3: TOP THREE NATIONALITIES OF RESIDENCE PERMITS FOR REMUNERATED
ACTIVITIES ......................................................................................................... 82
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Undeclared work of third-country nationals is a serious concern for fair competition in host-
countries, decent employment relations, but also social and fundamental rights of those
workers. Although the relevant data are scarce, the recent 2019 Eurobarometer survey
suggests that third-country nationals more often engage in undeclared work – and are
consequently exposed to exploitative working conditions. This raises important issues for
enforcement authorities who detect work irregularities on the ground and aim to ensure
fair and decent work.
The aim of this report is twofold. Firstly, it explores different ways of engaging in
undeclared work by non-EU nationals, linking this to labour exploitation. Secondly, it
focuses on labour, tax and/or social security authorities and social partners’ measures used
to tackle undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-country nationals, ranging from
prevention to detection and deterrence. To that effect, this report includes promising
practices to address the complex issue of undeclared work of third-country nationals.
Definitions of undeclared work, illegal employment and labour exploitation
This report uses the working definition for undeclared work used by the European
Commission: ‘any paid activities that are lawful as regards their nature but not declared
to public authorities, taking into account differences in the regulatory system of Member
States’. This activity-based definition excludes economic activities which are illegal or
unpaid by their nature. Thus, undeclared work as defined above, includes: under-
declared employment, unregistered employment, undeclared self-employment, labour
infringements through the use of umbrella companies, and other specific informal
practices which are not declared to labour, social security and tax authorities.
Illegal employment is defined as an ‘economic activity carried out in violation of
provisions set by legislation regulating the employment of third-country nationals
(European Migration Network (EMN), 2018). In the EU context, this covers both the
illegal employment of a third-country national who is irregularly staying on the territory
of an EU Member State and of a legally resident third-country national working outside
the conditions of the residence permit/visa and/or without a work authorisation. Thus,
illegal employment of third-country nationals is either the result of irregular residency or
the missing/restricted right to work.
Labour exploitation lacks an official EU-wide legal definition and varies in degrees of
severity, with most international definitions pointing towards its more severe forms, such
as forced labour and slavery. In this report it is understood based on the definition by
the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA): ‘work situations that deviate
significantly from standard working conditions as defined by legislation or other binding
legal regulations, concerning in particular remuneration, working hours, leave
entitlements, health and safety standards and decent treatment’ (FRA, 2015).
Methodology
Reliable estimates of the incidence of undeclared work among third-country nationals are
scarce and the report is therefore based primarily on the following qualitative evidence:
Desk research into the key evidence available at European, international and
(selected) Member State level in relation to undeclared work, labour exploitation and
illegal employment of third-country nationals.
Targeted interviews of enforcement authorities and social partners in five EU
Member States (Finland, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden) and written
contributions by enforcement authorities in four EU Member States (Belgium,
Germany, Italy and Spain).
2
Targeted interviews with social partners, notably the European Trade Union
Confederation (ETUC) and the Platform for International Cooperation on
Undocumented Migrants (PICUM).
By relying on this method, the report helps to shed light on a series of key
questions in relation to migration and undeclared work, and the propensity of third-
country nationals to be more vulnerable to labour exploitation:
Undeclared work of third-country nationals – what are the different
irregularities?
How do migrants enter undeclared work and labour exploitation?
How to counteract undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-country
nationals?
Undeclared work of migrants – what are the different irregularities?
The very first question is how do undeclared work, illegal employment and labour
exploitation coincide? Illegal employment and undeclared work are both informal economic
activities that do not comply with legislation and thus remain ‘invisible’ from the
authorities. While illegal employment is a breach of migration (because of a missing or no
longer valid residency status) or labour law (with no or a limited work authorisation),
undeclared work is a paid activity not, or only partly, registered with the authorities and
can be performed by third-country nationals and the native population. With a few
exceptions, irregularly staying migrants or those without a right to work often have no
choice but to work informally. They are therefore at a particularly high risk of labour
exploitation because of their dependency that undeclared work and illegal employment
create on their employer.
Compared to undeclared work and illegal employment, labour exploitation is the non-
compliance with a wider set of employers’ obligations, such as health and safety or equal
treatment regulations, including also the declaration of work to authorities. While
substantial research by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) (FRA,
2015; FRA, 2018, FRA, 2019) considers forms of severe labour exploitation in criminal law,
this report looks at labour exploitation as a continuum, characterised by distinctive forms
and degrees of immobility, devaluation and coercion. While undeclared work can be an
intentional strategy of employers and regularly staying migrants, labour exploitation is
driven by various employers’ strategies to exercise control over the worker (FRA, 2015;
FRA, 2018, FRA, 2019). Undeclared work can also be one form of labour exploitation (e.g.
if the employer refuses to register the worker) and reinforces the exclusion from formal
employment and subsequently increases the risk of further exploitation.
Third-country nationals enter undeclared work and illegal employment under
different circumstances. For example: regularly staying refugees or seasonal workers
working undeclared or underdeclared, non-EU nationals working more time than their
employment contract states or in a second - undeclared - job or fraudulently posted third-
country nationals. Instances when third-country nationals work more time than their work
authorisation allows or workers overstay their temporary visa are primarily classified as
illegal employment (whilst this economic activity is also often likely not to be declared to
the authorities).
Non-EU nationals therefore face different situations due to their country entry (regular
or irregular), residency (regularly versus irregularly staying), work status (work
authorisation with significant limitations, expired, non-valid or non-existing work
authorisation) and form of employment (formal, undeclared or underdeclared). Hence, it
is often not possible to fully distinguish between undeclared work (which is mostly covered
by labour law interventions), illegal employment (covered by migration, labour and criminal
law) and labour exploitation covered in national labour and criminal laws, as they interlink
and reinforce each other.
While existing research focuses mainly on the vulnerability of irregularly staying migrants
to labour exploitation, this report also considers regularly staying non-EU nationals who
3
work undeclared and their exposure to labour exploitation. In order to explore the
relationship between undeclared work and labour exploitation, the report differentiates
between three groups of third-country nationals:
Legally residing third-country nationals with a fully flexible work
authorisation. This group includes people who for example gained long-term
residency, or have been granted international protection. In theory, this group faces
the same risk of entering undeclared, underdeclared work or bogus self-employment
as EU nationals. However, while it is unclear if they enter undeclared work intentionally
or are driven into it by employers, their risk of labour exploitation is heightened
compared to EU workers. Employers may take advantage of their marginalised status
– in particular of low-skilled workers who face challenges, such as language barriers,
limitations of qualification recognition and skills validation, cultural differences and
discrimination.
Legally residing third-country nationals with a restricted work authorisation.
This can include a limitation of working time, for example, for students or au pairs, a
set number of professions or sectors to work in or can be linked to a single employer.
A breach of these conditions of their work authorisation results in irregular employment
and potentially invalidation of their residence and work permit, so that the person is
pulled into irregular residence. This increases their dependency on their employer and,
in turn, the risk of labour exploitation. Specific schemes that worsen this situation are
work authorisations that are linked to a specific employer and posting arrangement
which allow companies to post legally staying third-country workers with a work
authorisation for a restricted amount of time to another Member State. Under
fraudulent posting arrangements, migrants are hired under fraudulent schemes and
employed as posted workers under contracts from countries where neither employer
nor worker has any real connection.
Legally residing third-country nationals without a right to work (their status
may not grant them access to the labour market or they have not/cannot apply for a
work authorisation) and irregularly staying third-country nationals. This group is
most at risk of labour exploitation due to their irregular status. People staying regularly
but without a work authorisation are those who entered the EU on a tourist visa (in
exploitative cases, arranged by the employer and with the intention of working full-
time), as asylum seekers who are not yet authorised to work.
1
Cases of irregular
residency and employment concern those third-country nationals who are not entitled
to stay in the territory of the Member State (for instance because they entered the
country irregularly, continued to reside following the expiration or invalidation of their
visa, residence and/or work authorisation, or had their asylum application rejected).
2
How do migrants enter undeclared work and labour exploitation?
Although the data on undeclared work amongst third-country nationals is scarce, insights
from Platform members and literature reveal that most non-EU workers taking part in
undeclared work come from countries with lower wages and restricted job opportunities,
and often with a higher share of undeclared work. Their risk of engaging in labour
exploitation increases if they are working illegally, and/or are low-skilled workers, and/or
lack adequate language skills.
1
According to EU Reception Directive asylum seekers must be granted access to the labour market no later than
nine months from the date when the application for international protection was lodged, if a first instance decision
by the competent authority has not been taken. Member States can decide to grant earlier access to the labour
market. However, before this period, it may be likely that asylum seekers work to gain income while they wait
for their decision enabling unscrupulous employers to fill low-paid jobs.
2
Article 3(3) of the Employers Sanctions Directive (Directive 2009/52/EC) states that ‘A Member State may
decide not to apply the prohibition [of the employment of illegally staying third-country nationals] to illegally
staying third-country nationals whose removal has been postponed and who are allowed to work in accordance
with national law’.
4
They mostly work in sectors with high demand for a flexible workforce in labour-intensive
jobs, such as in agriculture, construction, domestic work and transport. Enforcement
authorities have also noted undeclared and illegal work in services in the hospitality
industry, such as hotels, restaurants and beauty salons. Another aspect are small-scale,
unregistered businesses (street vendors, car washes), were workers work ‘self-employed’
and earn their undeclared income in cash. Many of these sectors are difficult to monitor,
given the frequently changing or hidden workplace settings and subcontracting chains.
Some sectors are highly gendered, with construction and international transport mostly
male and the domestic sector primarily female, creating different discrimination and
exploitation risks for women and men.
Furthermore, third-country nationals are recruited into undeclared work primarily via
private contacts and informal networks, fraudulent temporary work agencies, online
recruitment and pick-up spots. Especially fraudulent agencies, gangmasters
3
and some
private networks, such as groups from the same ethnic background or wider family
members who systematically isolate workers, often lead to exploitative conditions.
How to counteract undeclared work and labour exploitation?
In most Member States, labour inspectorates detect illegal, undeclared work and
exploitation of foreign nationals. Other authorities involved are tax and social security
authorities, health and safety regulators, the police, customs and migration authorities,
and employment services. In addition, NGOs and social partners play a key role in
providing insight on-the-ground, informing workers of their rights, establishing trust with
workers and channelling complaints.
However, policy approaches to address undeclared work and consequential labour
exploitation of migrants remain often limited because of insufficient cooperation between
responsible institutions, scarce resources in enforcement bodies and an often limited
capacity to detect labour exploitation.
Enforcement authorities have, to some extent, adapted some measures to tackle
undeclared work to the specifics of third-country nationals. Much like their general
approach, there is a stronger focus on deterrence than prevention measures targeted at
irregularities related to the employment of third-country nationals. Inspections are
typically used to monitor these irregularities, often focusing on high-risk sectors and
cooperating with other authorities, mostly the police to address criminal infringements.
While sanctions are an important deterrent for employers, their effect depends heavily on
the likelihood of detection and enforcement. This is often undermined by non-EU workers’
inadequate knowledge of their rights and available support mechanisms, or their fear of
fines or deportation if they complain.
The report outlines promising practices, as case studies, based on the existing policy
approaches of enforcement authorities, social partners. These include the development of
well-defined cooperation procedures between different authorities, specialised teams,
training of inspectors and working with social partners.
In order to detect and investigate cases better, confidential reporting mechanisms help to
encourage complaints and cooperation by third-country nationals. Moreover, monitoring
recruitment channels, such as online advertisements or ‘pick-up’ spots supports authorities
to intervene earlier. When it comes to labour exploitation, specific indicators, trained
inspectors, information tools to inform about rights during inspections and cooperation with
NGOs and social partners can support exploited workers.
Preventative measures are important to provide targeted information, as it is often
unclear if third-country nationals and at times their employers are aware of regulations.
Equally, communication activities, such as campaigns, can change behaviour by increasing
trust in the authorities. Preventative measures take the specific situation of third-country
nationals into account, for instance, via multilingual information tools or outreach (for
3
This is usually a person who employs manual workers, often undeclared and under exploitive working conditions.
5
example ‘cultural mediators’). In addition, enforcement authorities and social partners also
reach out to employers via advice services and transparent rules about hiring and the
regulation of recruitment of third-country nationals in specific sectors and an emphasis on
chain liability.
Finally, with the recent COVID-19 outbreak, regularisation schemes have been widely
debated, offering a chance to transfer undeclared work into declared work and provide
access for irregularly staying migrants to support services whilst lifting them out of
undeclared and/or exploitative work. They need to be carefully designed in terms of their
frequency, universality and eligibility rules (e.g. language requirements and setting
conditions for future compliance).
6
1 INTRODUCTION
Undeclared work of third-country nationals is a serious concern for fair competition, decent
employment relations, and social and fundamental rights of these workers. Although the
data are scarce, the recent 2019 Eurobarometer survey and other evidence suggests that
third-country nationals engage in undeclared work – and are consequently exposed to
exploitative working conditions. Especially irregularly staying third-country nationals are
at high risk, as they have limited or no access to social protection or welfare services and
often find themselves in employment relations in violation of human, social and workers’
rights. In the most severe cases, they cannot exercise their fundamental rights, such as
the right to free movement or privacy. From an economic perspective, undeclared and
illegal work of third-country nationals threatens the fiscal sustainability of tax and social
protection systems, together with fair competition, while possibility for illegal employment
may also work as a pull factor for irregular immigration.
Undeclared work by non-EU nationals is also a sensitive political issue with recent
discussions around migration control and unfair competition. During the financial crisis in
2008, many migrant workers lost their jobs and either returned to their home countries or
engaged in undeclared work (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD), 2018). In addition, the migration influx in 2015-2016 generated debate around
security and integration, with increased illegal entry into the EU via the Eastern
Mediterranean, Central Mediterranean and Western Balkan migratory routes. Around half
of all asylum applications were rejected, leading to questions about return and possible
illegal employment (OECD, 2018).
In the current COVID-19 pandemic and expected economic recession, non-EU workers are
again at significant risk of drifting into illegal and undeclared work, either because they
might lose their jobs, and especially if their residency depends on their job. Moreover, the
pandemic lockdown measures and subsequent job losses in lower income countries can
lead to increased migration to Europe, whilst some receiving countries argue for stricter
migration control. Moreover, increasing unemployment and falling prices in EU Member
States may result in cuts to labour costs, often through exploitative conditions. The lack of
access to social protection for illegally working migrants is likely to accelerate, as is limited
or no access to public health services or social distancing measures. In addition, third-
country nationals’ jobs in professions that became essential during this health crisis, such
as jobs in agriculture, cleaning or transport, are at higher risk to continue working without
relevant hygiene standards and social distancing measures expected during the pandemic
time.
In addition, workforce supply and demand in the above-mentioned sectors becomes
vulnerable, as some workers may decide to return home or not to travel to Europe. This in
turn has reinforced discussions around regularisation schemes to bring previously
undeclared workers and businesses into the declared economy.
Tackling undeclared work amongst third-country nationals is essential to economic,
migration and social policy objectives, especially with the most recent consequences of the
COVID-19 pandemic. This raises important issues for enforcement authorities addressing
undeclared work, who detect undeclared and illegal employment on the ground and aim to
ensure fair and decent work.
1.1 Purpose of the report
The aim of the report is twofold. Firstly, it explores different ways how non-EU nationals
engage in undeclared work, linking this to labour exploitation. Secondly, it identifies labour,
tax and/or social security authorities and social partners’ measures to tackle undeclared
work and labour exploitation of third-country nationals, ranging from prevention to
detection and responses. This review allows to single out promising practices to address
the complex issues of undeclared work of third-country nationals.
7
Tackling these issues by the approaches in this report ultimately contributes to
safeguarding the rights of migrant workers. Especially vulnerable groups are often unable
to assert their rights, including the rights to fair pay and living and working conditions.
The report explores the relationship between undeclared work and labour exploitation,
based on the following definitions:
Definitions of undeclared work, illegal employment and labour exploitation
This report uses the working definition for undeclared work used by the European
Commission: ‘any paid activities that are lawful as regards their nature but not declared
to public authorities, taking into account differences in the regulatory system of Member
States’. As this activity-based definition excludes sections of the undeclared economy
that are illegal or unpaid, such activities do not form part of this report. This includes
different types of undeclared work, including: under-declared employment, unregistered
employment, undeclared self-employment, labour infringements through the use of
umbrella companies, etc. related to labour, social security and tax laws and regulations.
Illegal employment is defined as an ‘economic activity carried out in violation of
provisions set by legislation regulating the employment of third-country nationals
(European Migration Network (EMN), 2018). In the EU context, this covers both the
illegal employment of a third-country national who is irregularly staying on the territory
of an EU Member State and of a legally resident third-country national working outside
the conditions of the residence permit and/or without a work authorisation. Thus, illegal
employment of third-country nationals is either the result of irregular residency or the
missing/restricted right to work.
Labour exploitation lacks an official EU-wide legal definition and varies in degrees of
severity, with most international definitions pointing towards its more severe forms, such
as forced labour and slavery. In this report it is understood based on the definition by
the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA): ‘work situations that deviate
significantly from standard working conditions as defined by legislation or other binding
legal regulations, concerning in particular remuneration, working hours, leave
entitlements, health and safety standards and decent treatment’ (FRA, 2015).
In order to present the relation between undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-
country nationals, the report discusses three groups who face challenges in accessing
formal employment
4
and a higher risk of labour exploitation. While research focuses mainly
on the vulnerability of irregularly staying migrants to labour exploitation, this report
considers also regularly staying non-EU nationals who work undeclared and their exposure
to labour exploitation:
Legally residing third-country nationals with a fully flexible work authorisation. This
group includes people who gained long-term residency or have been granted
international protection. In theory, this group faces the same risk of entering
undeclared, underdeclared work or bogus self-employment as EU nationals. However,
while it is unclear if they enter undeclared work intentionally or are driven into it by
employers, their risk of labour exploitation is heightened compared to EU workers.
Employers may take advantage of their more marginalised status – in particular of
low-skilled workers – or may blackmail them to work undeclared or in atypical jobs in
order to maintain their work and residency status.
Legally residing third-country nationals with a restricted work authorisation. This can
include a limitation of working time, for example for au pairs or students, a set number
of professions or sectors to work in or can be linked to a single employer. A breach of
these conditions of their work authorisation results in illegal and undeclared work. This
4
For employment to be considered formal (rather than informal), it must consider the International Labour
Organisation (ILO), EU and national standards of decent work (workers’ rights in respect of minimum wage, legal
deductions, hours worked, and health and safety standards).
8
increases their dependency on their employer and, in turn, the risk of labour
exploitation. Specific schemes that enhance this situation are work authorisations that
are linked to a specific employer and posting arrangement which allow companies to
post legally staying third-country workers with a work authorisation for a restricted
amount of time to another Member State. In fraudulent posting arrangements,
migrants are hired under fraudulent schemes and employed as posted workers under
contracts from countries where neither employer nor worker has any real connection.
Legally residing third-country nationals without a right to work (their status may not
grant them access to the labour market or they have not/cannot apply for a work
authorisation) and irregularly staying third-country nationals. This group is most at
risk of labour exploitation due to their irregular status. People staying regularly but
without a work authorisation are those who entered the EU on a tourist visa (in
exploitative cases, arranged by the employer and with the intention of working full-
time), as asylum seekers who are not yet authorised to work,
5
or under family
reunification rules when the partner is not allowed to work. Cases of irregular residency
and employment concern those third-country nationals who are not entitled to stay in
the territory of the Member State (for instance because they entered the country
irregularly, overstayed their visa or had their asylum application rejected).
6
1.2 Method
Reliable estimates of the situation of undeclared work among third-country nationals are
scarce and the report is therefore based primarily on the following qualitative evidence:
Desk research of the key qualitative and quantitative sources in the field of third-
country nationals’ migration, undeclared work and labour exploitation in the EU/
European Economic Area (EEA). The literature review covers legal, socioeconomic and
policy aspects.
Targeted interviews of enforcement authorities and social partners in five EU Member
States (Finland, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden) and written contributions
by enforcement authorities in four EU Member States (Belgium, Germany, Italy and
Spain).
Targeted interviews with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM).
In Section 6 and 7, promising practices are presented by labour, tax and/or social
security authorities and social partners to tackle undeclared work and labour
exploitation among third-country nationals.
Following this introduction, Section 2 presents the scale of migration in the EU, followed
by an overview of EU and national legal frameworks pertaining to employment and
migration policies (Section 3). Section 4 explains how undeclared work and labour
exploitation coincide along the three groups of workers from non-EU countries considered
in this report. Section 5 discusses how, and in which sectors, these groups enter undeclared
work and potential labour exploitation. Section 6 analyses roles and cooperation between
the different actors tackling undeclared work, illegal employment and labour exploitation.
Section 7 presents concrete measures taken by enforcement authorities, such as labour
inspectorates, tax and social security authorities, as well as social partners and NGOs, to
address undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-country nationals, pointing to
5
According to EU Reception Directive asylum seekers must be granted access to the labour market no later than
nine months from the date when the application for international protection was lodged, if a first instance decision
by the competent authority has not been taken. Member States can decide to grant earlier access to the labour
market.
6
Article 3(3) of the Employers Sanctions Directive (Directive 2009/52/EC) states that ‘A Member State may
decide not to apply the prohibition [of the employment of illegally staying third-country nationals] to illegally
staying third-country nationals whose removal has been postponed and who are allowed to work in accordance
with national law’.
9
further promising practice in case studies. This is followed by Section 8 focused on how
Member States and authorities can support routes out of undeclared work and exploitation.
Finally, Section 9 closes the report with conclusions and observations for future action.
2 AN OVERVIEW ON LEGAL MIGRATION AND IRREGULARLY STAYING
THIRD-COUNTRY NATIONALS
This Section presents available data on legal migration flows and irregularly staying third-
country nationals. This can help us to shed some light on the issue of undeclared work of
migrants across the EU. These developments do not provide the full picture, as illegal and
undeclared work are mainly under-reported while methods used for detection differ, which
makes investigation challenging.
Legal migration
At the beginning of 2019, third-country nationals accounted for 4.9 % of the total
population in the European Union (EU-27); specifically, 21.8 million non-EU citizens were
legally living in the EU-27, most of them in Germany (10.1 million), Italy (5.3 million),
France (4.9 million) and Spain (4.8 million) (Eurostat, 2019).
First residence permits continued to increase between 2015 and 2018. In 2018, 3.2 million
first residence permits were issued in the EU to non-EU citizens. The main reason for a first
residence permit was for family reasons (28 %), followed by employment reasons (27 %),
education (20 %) and other reasons, including international protection and asylum (24 %)
(Eurostat, 2018).
In terms of permits for employment/remunerated activities, Figure 1 shows the most
common destination countries were Poland, Czechia, Germany and Spain.
7
Residence permit for employment-related reasons, 2019
7
This is data for the EU-28 in 2019. The United Kingdom is not considered in this report, as no longer a EU
Member State. However, Brexit will change internal cross-border mobility labour patterns within the EU-27 and
migration arrangements between the EU and United Kingdom remain unclear at the moment of drafting this
report.
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
EE BG LU EL AT LV BE CY IT DK IE MT FI RO LT SI SK SE NL PT HU FR HR ES DE CZ PL
62 % of issued permits
for remunerated
activities
10
Source: Eurostat, First permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship [migr_resfirst].
Extracted from Eurostat on 26/10/202.
Countries like Poland or Czechia have introduced recent visa schemes and bilateral
agreements with Eastern neighbour countries to address new workforce demand since
joining the EU. These allow for short-time employment without a work authorisation. Annex
3 provides an overview of the top three countries whose citizens received first residence
permits for remunerated activities. This shows that Czechia, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia
most people came from Ukraine and other Eastern neighbour states. Permits in other
countries varied more in terms of geographic distribution: such as citizens from India,
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia who came to Germany and people from Morocco,
Honduras and Colombia arriving in Spain. For the EU-27 as a whole, 44 % of first residence
permits for remunerated activities were issued to Ukrainians, followed by 6 % Indians and
4 % Bosnians.
Another relevant aspect to look at is the latest statistics on asylum applications. In 2015,
612 700 first-time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the EU.
8
Approximately 38 % of those first instance asylum decisions resulted in a refugee or
subsidiary protection status or an authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons. More
than half of those positive decisions (53 %) granted the refugee status in line with the
1958 Geneva Convention. In 2019, the number of new asylum seekers was lower, with
142 400 asylum applications, Germany accounted for 23.3 % of all first-time applicants in
the EU-27, followed by France (119 900, or 19.6 %), Spain (115 200, or 18.8 %), Greece
(74 900, or 12.2 %) and Italy (35 000, or 5.7 %).
Irregular migration
Irregular migration is difficult to measure and compare between countries, as those without
residence and work permits are not included in any formal statistics. Globally, it is
estimated that 10–15 % of all migrants were in an irregular situation in 2010 (IOM, 2010).
In 2008, this number was estimated at between 1.9 million and 3.8 million in 27 EU
Member States (PICUM, 2020). There are some national methods to assess the scale of
the irregular migration, such as in Denmark, where 10 000 people were estimated to work
illegally in 2013. In the Netherlands, there were an estimated 35 000 undocumented
migrants between 2012 and 2013 (van der Heijden et al., 2015), while between 20 000
and 26 000 lived in Ireland in 2014 (Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI), 2014).
The available data on the enforcement of immigration legislation gives an estimates of
migrants who were identified as irregular. Numbers of migrants entering the EU irregularly
reached the highest level in 2015, with 2 154 700 persons found to be irregularly present,
then falling to 983 900 (rounded to the nearest 100) in 2016 and to 601 500 in 2018 –
68.4 % of them were found in four Member States together (Germany: 134 100, France:
105 900, Greece: 93 400, Spain: 78 300) (Eurostat, 2018).
8
Asylum and first-time asylum applicants by citizenship, age and sex [migr_asyappctza]. Extracted from Eurostat
on 25/05/2020.
11
Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present in the EU Member States
and EFTA countries, 2018
Source: Eurostat (migr_eipre).
The peak in 2015 translates also into detections of illegal border crossings of the EU’s
external borders by national border control authorities. In 2015, 1 800 000 were detected,
before declining to 511 000 in 2016 and 205 000 in 2017, and a total of 141 846 in 2019
(Frontex, 2020).
Detections of illegal border crossings at the external borders of the
Member States
Source: Frontex Risk Analysis Reports 2015 to 2020.
A caveat of this approach of measurement could be the issue of double reporting and
inflation of numbers due to border crossings of multiple Members States. The three key
migratory routes for irregularly entering third-country nationals into the EU, have been the
12
Eastern Mediterranean (crossing of the Aegean Sea from Turkey towards Greece), the
Central Mediterranean (flow from Libya and Tunisia towards Italy) and the Western Balkans
(primarily from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina towards Croatia and Hungary) route
(CSD, 2018). Illegal EU border crossings happen mostly through migrant smuggling and
trafficking of human beings (CSD, 2018).
Third-country nationals and undeclared work
The Eurobarometer survey from 2019 (Special Eurobarometer No. 498 conducted in 2019
with 26 514 respondents) shows that those with working experience outside of the EU and
those with working experience in another EU Member State are more likely to engage in
undeclared, under-declared employment and bogus self-employment. However, these data
should be interpreted with caution.
9
4 % of respondents who have previously worked in a non-EU country took part in under-
declared employment in the EU (compared with 3 % of all employees surveyed) and 12 %
of self-employed with previous working experience outside of the EU were bogus self-
employment in the EU (compared with 10 % of all self-employed surveyed). However, the
number of respondents with work experience in a non-EU country and in undeclared
employment in the EU is the same as for all people surveyed: 4 % (Williams et al., 2020).
Moreover, the survey finds that those with recent work experience abroad (EU and non-
EU) – in the last 12 months – are also more likely to engage in undeclared work in the last
12 months. This could be in their host country or after returning to their country of origin
(Williams et al., 2020).
3 POLICY FRAMEWORK ADDRESSING UNDECLARED WORK AND
LABOUR EXPLOITATION
This Section looks at EU employment and migration policy relevant for undeclared work
amongst third-country nationals, as well as labour market and migration policies that might
influence employment of third-country nationals over time.
Key findings
EU and national policies set out various ways for legal migration. However, legal
pathways for low-skilled third-country nationals are limited in many countries.
Consequently, this is the group most likely to be working in precarious or undeclared
employment, especially in sectors with high workforce demand, such as agriculture
or domestic work.
With more recent asylum applications, some countries have focused on a quicker
and more efficient integration of asylum seekers and refugees, notably in sectors
with workforce demand.
3.1 EU framework relevant in addressing undeclared work amongst third-
country nationals
Together with international labour law standards and core principles of universal human
rights, the EU legislative acquis on employment and migration policy is relevant to the
phenomenon of undeclared work among third-country nationals. Indeed, regulations
determine the implementation at national level, and enforcement carried out by public
authorities.
9
Only 9 % of all survey respondents have worked abroad and less than 2 % surveyed were migrants. For the
2013 Eurobarometer survey on undeclared work in the European Union, 1 % were from non-EU countries and
the survey stresses the difficulty to include insight from irregularly staying third-country nationals.
13
A common layer of protection for all workers, irrespective of forms and types of
employment
At EU level, the Council Directive 2000/78/EC, Employment Equality Framework Directive,
and the Race Equality Directive 2000/43/EC safeguard equal treatment during recruitment
and at work for all, covering working conditions including pay and social security benefits,
and access to union representation, irrespective of racial or ethnic background.
In the area of employment, legislation also regulates working conditions for every worker
– regardless of their nationality and their migration status – such as the Working Time
Directive, which sets out a limit for working hours, rest breaks and annual leave and other
European Directives on safety and health at work. Traditionally, the regulation of working
time focussed on health and safety; increasingly, flexible working hours were addressed in
this regulation.
EU Regulation on flexible forms of work
The need to better regulate flexible forms of work is increasingly important, notably to
avoid undeclared work by non-standard workers with irregular working hours. While
legislation applies to native, EU and third-country workers, employment of the third-
country nationals is very much impacted by regulations of flexible, non-standard forms of
work. Third-country nationals work more often in temporary employment and earn lower
wages (Fasani, et al, 2020). Two EU Directives determine further minimum standards and
rights for employees. In order to ensure greater predictability of working hours for both
workers and employees, the 2019 Directive 2019/1152 on Transparent and Predictable
Working Conditions sets out the obligation to inform workers and employees on guaranteed
paid hours, payment for additional work, and reference to work schedules. In addition, the
2019 Work-Life Balance Directive (Directive 2019/1158) gives the right to paternity leave,
carers' leave and flexible working arrangements (reduced working hours, flexible working
hours and workplace settings) to all working parents of children up to at least 8 years old,
and all carers.
Three Directives regulate non-standard forms of work ensuring the equal treatment of
atypical workers with standard workers. The Temporary Agency Work Directive
(2008/104/EC) guarantees the protection of temporary agency workers, ensuring equal
treatment (on basic working and employment conditions) and by recognising temporary
work agencies as employers. Furthermore, the Part-time Work Directive 97/81/EC and the
Fixed-term Work Directive 99/70/EC determine minimum standards for atypical workers
and equal treatment to permanent staff.
Conditions for posted workers (Posted Workers Directive (96/71/EC)) carrying out work in
another Member State than where they normally work for a limited period of time aim to
address workers’ rights and decent working conditions across the EU, regardless of their
residence status. The revised Posted Workers Directive (2018/957) and the Enforcement
Directive (2014/67/EU) stem from the freedom to provide services (Article 56 TFEU) and
free cross-border movement of services within the internal market. With the revised
Directive (2018/957), the terms and conditions of employment for posted workers now
cover among others ‘remuneration’ instead of ‘minimum rates of pay’. The new rules will
apply to temporary agency workers and workers in chain posting.
Various migration pathways covered in various regulations
Migration is a shared competence between the EU and the Member States, which in practice
means that the EU has regulated the conditions and rights associated with labour market
access of some groups of third-country nationals in several Directives, whilst Member
States may have specific national instruments and schemes in place too. Even when EU
legislation applies, some instruments allow Member States to restrict access to the labour
market or put in place additional conditions and restrictions, which may have the
unintended effect of leading to undeclared work and labour exploitation (see Section 5.2
below).
14
Full equal treatment with respect to working conditions and rights is ensured for third-
country nationals with legal residence status. Their residency and employment may be
regulated by the Long-Term Residence Directive (2003/109/EC),
10
the Single Permit
Directive (2011/98/EU), which applies to all third-country nationals authorised to work,
and the EU Blue Card (Directive 2009/50/EC), which covers highly qualified third-country
nationals. For the latter, third-country nationals are required to possess a job providing a
‘salary at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary in the EU country concerned’. In
addition, the Blue Card can be restricted to a single employer.
The Seasonal Workers Directive (2014/36/EU) ‘determines the conditions of entry and stay
of third-country nationals for the purpose of employment as seasonal workers and defines
the rights of seasonal workers’ (Article 1). This only covers third-country nationals with
residence outside the territory of the Member States (Article 2(1)). Seasonal workers can
only be employed for ‘specific activities dependent on the passing of the seasons, under
one or more fixed-term work contracts concluded directly between that third-country
national and the employer established in that Member State’. The Directive generally refers
to employment in sectors such as agriculture and tourism, and Member States should, in
consultation with social partners, determine sectors that are seasonal. This Directive is
particularly pertinent in the context of this report, given the seasonal / sectoral dimensions
outlined in relation to migration in further Sections of this report.
The Intra-Corporate Transferees Directive (2014/66/EU) regulates intra-corporate
transferees permits and guarantees equal (employment) treatment with posted workers.
Intra-corporate transferees are bound to one employer and can stay and work in the
Member State for a maximum of three years.
The Students and Researchers Directive ((EU) 2016/801) applies to those who apply to be
admitted or who have been admitted to the territory of a Member State for the purpose of
research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes, educational
projects and au pairing or voluntary service in the European Voluntary Service (EVS). While
it is not a ‘labour migration’ instrument as such, the Directive allows students to work or
to be self-employed outside of their student hours, with working time restrictions in most
countries. Member States may, exceptionally, introduce additional restrictions based on
their specific labour market situation. After completing their research or studies, these
third-country nationals permit holders are allowed to remain in the Member State to seek
employment or set up a business for a period of at least nine months.
The Family Reunification Directive (2003/86/EC) determines that a family member is
entitled ‘in the same way as the sponsor’ to access employment and self-employed activity.
However, even when family members can access the labour market, Member States are
still allowed to introduce additional conditions and restrictions.
In the area of international protection, the Qualification Directive (2013/32/EU) and the
Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC) allow beneficiaries of international and
temporary protection to access employment, without imposing any specific conditions.
Under the Reception Conditions Directive (Council Directive 2013/33/EU), Member States
must ensure that asylum seekers who have applied for international protection have access
to the labour market no later than nine months from the date of their application. They
are, nevertheless, allowed to introduce conditions, including giving priority to nationals, EU
and EEA citizens.
Finally, the Employers Sanctions Directive (2009/52/EC) provides sanctions against
employers for the employment of irregularly staying third-country nationals. The Directive
provides measures that counter undeclared work and exploitation and criminalises the
employers who employ ‘a significant number of irregularly staying third-country nationals’,
under ‘particularly exploitative working conditions’ or for the ‘work or services exacted from
10
With restrictions on employment in the defence sector of the Member State.
15
an irregularly staying third- country national with the knowledge that he or she is a victim
of trafficking in human beings or a minor’.
The Directive sets out measures to protect illegally employed third-country nationals. For
example, the Directive requires Member States to set up mechanisms through which third-
country nationals can claim outstanding remuneration payments and lodge complaints
against their employers, either directly or through designated third parties such as trade
unions or NGOs. Article 6 of the Directive also includes an obligation for employers to pay
back payments. A 2014 European Commission report on the application of the Directive
found that some of the protective measures were not implemented by some Member States
and stressed the need to improve reporting systems. However, only a few Member States
(Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden) allow third-country nationals in an irregular situation who are victims of severe
labour exploitation to stay until they receive back payments (European Commission, 2014).
This is a possibility under Article 13(4) of the Directive, but not an obligation on Member
States.
3.2 Policies affecting the situation of third-country workers
Formal employment and decent work for third-country nationals are primarily determined
by social, migration and labour market national policies, and related national legislation.
Undeclared work by third-country nationals is determined by several factors: the regulation
of labour markets, access (or lack of access) to legal pathways to work in specific sectors
(especially those with a high labour demand such as agriculture, construction or domestic
work), regulations applicable to and market dynamics of particular sectors, the likeliness
of enforcement of labour and migration legislation, as well as existing social norms to
compliance in a country.
While EU legislation featured above, as well as national law provide equal treatment of
regularly staying workers with national workers, there are also specific rules at national
level stressing the rights of irregularly staying workers. For example, the French Labour
Code provides for the equal treatment of non-EU workers working illegally or undeclared
with regular workers (both from the EU and third countries) with regard to issues like
working conditions, health and safety at work and remuneration (PICUM, 2020).
Europe’s labour markets are rapidly changing with increasing forms of non-standard work
and self-employment. More and more people work outside the ‘typical’ employment
relationship (a full-time employee for one employer). New forms of work vary from self-
employment, stable own account workers, small traders and farmers to workers in
precarious working arrangements that often do not guarantee steady work or salaries,
such as zero-hours contracts, voucher-based work or platform work. Next to job and
income insecurity, these arrangements often have limited or no access to social protection
(Spasova et al., 2017).
EU and national employment policies try to balance the protection of workers with flexibility
for employers. Over- or under-regulation of labour markets can impact on the gap between
workers with regular status and permanent contracts and those in more precarious
situations. Labour markets where employers require a flexible workforce but have limited
options to obtain this flexibility may see them tempted to illegally hire the most flexible,
unprotected group, especially in sectors characterised by labour shortages, such as
agriculture, manufacturing or construction. Moreover, temporary agency work,
subcontracting and outsourcing and platform work contribute to an uneven worker
protection and bargaining power, avoidance of employer responsibility, circumvention of
applicable labour and social legislation and collective agreements, and inadequate
information of rights and obligations, which is vital for third-country nationals. In addition,
they can provide a fertile ground for undeclared work or bogus self-employment, as it is
hard for public authorities to determine the employment relationship, and specifically in
16
the case of the emerging ‘gig’ economy
11
to differentiate between commercial and personal
activities (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV), 2019).
Since the 2008 global financial and economic crisis, European immigration policies have
increasingly been characterised by a contrast between high-skilled and low-skilled
migration policies. The immigration of lower skilled migrants from poorer countries is
typically perceived as needing to be monitored. The European Commission recognised the
absence of various legal pathways for labour migration, its impact on irregular migration
and employment, and related undeclared work and labour exploitation. The ‘Political
roadmap for a sustainable migration policy’ (European Commission, 2017a) promotes legal
migration, particularly in the context of tackling migrant smuggling and irregular migration.
The roadmap emphasised schemes targeting highly qualified workers, yet legal pathways
for the migration of low-skilled workers remain limited. While most European countries
have implemented policies to attract skilled and high-skilled migrants (academics, medical
personnel, engineers), there are fewer legal migration schemes for low-skilled sectors with
high workforce demand, despite it being a factor potentially contributing to irregular
migration (Newland et al., 2018; OECD, 2018).
Low to medium-skilled workers are in demand in sectors such as agriculture, construction,
domestic work, care and cleaning, which have been characterised as having high levels of
undeclared work in the EU/EEA (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017c;
Williams et al., 2018; Williams, 2020). In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020
‘Guidelines to ensure the protection of seasonal workers in the EU’ calls on Member States,
national authorities, labour inspectorates, and social partners to guarantee the rights of
seasonal EU and non-EU workers, the health and safety of seasonal workers, especially
with regard to appropriate housing, hygiene and social distancing measures. In addition,
Commission plans additional actions, such as research, surveys and awareness raising
efforts to further protect seasonal workers' rights.
Undeclared work in these sectors depends on the possibility for third-country nationals to
enter employment on a regular basis, as well as possible conditions tied to the residency
and work permit, as well as the regulation of the sector. For example, the situation of
foreign domestic workers is influenced by the labour immigration policies to address
workforce demand in this sector, the definition and recognition of employment relations in
the domestic sphere and the wider organisation of care services and measures to promote
female employment (Triandafyllidou, 2013). Some countries have domestic work
visas/permits, like in Italy. In others, the residency of domestic workers is more blurred –
for example, a domestic worker may enter on an au pair visa/permit. This gap in
appropriate legal pathways for the employment of low-skilled third-country nationals
contributes to recurring irregular migration and undeclared work among third-country
nationals.
Ambiguities exist also in the design of schemes for legal migration. The lack of transparent
and clear application of procedures can create or exacerbate gaps. In agriculture, for
example, where workforce is often required on a flexible and ad hoc basis, the process of
issuing authorisations under the Seasonal Workers Directive might be too burdensome or
time-consuming.
However, there have been some national efforts to enhance the formal labour market
integration of third-country nationals, following the peak of asylum applications in 2015.
Sweden’s ‘work permit exemption’ allows asylum seekers to start working immediately
after their arrival, while they await a decision on their asylum application.
12
After four
months’ employment, they can apply for a work permit if their asylum application has been
rejected, provided that they can present an offer of extended employment and the monthly
salary is at least SEK 13 000 (c. EUR 1 365) before tax. The social partners, employment
11
The ‘gig economy’ is characterised by temporary, short-term positions, workers are considered contractors
and freelancers instead of full-time employees.
12
If they can identify themselves, are over 16 years old, their asylum application is to be processed in Sweden
(and not according to the Dublin Regulation) and is well-founded.
17
services and other authorities have established so-called ‘fast-track’ processes for
professions with high workforce demand. These often combine measures such as on-the-
job training, language classes and skills validation. Germany has provided earlier access
to integration measures for asylum seekers from countries with good prospects of staying
and the 3+2 rule
13
that allows asylum seekers to complete their apprenticeship even if
their application is rejected (Konle-Seidl, 2018).
4 LABOUR EXPLOITATION AND DIFFERENT FORMS OF IRREGULARITY
Third-country nationals work undeclared under different circumstances. This Section
describes various irregular practices of workers from non-EU countries, deriving from illegal
or legal country entry, irregular or regular residency, work authorisation (or lack thereof)
and form of employment (formal, undeclared or underdeclared). This allows for a
differentiation between illegal employment and undeclared work and the potential risk of
labour exploitation in order to design adequate policy responses.
Key findings
Undeclared work can be one form of labour exploitation and increases the risk of
labour exploitation, as the worker is ‘hidden’ from enforcement authorities.
In particular, irregularly staying third-country nationals and those without a work
authorisation often have no other chance than to work undeclared and to accept
other exploitive working conditions. The risk of undeclared work and labour
exploitation is also higher amongst non-EU nationals who stay and work regularly in
comparison to EU nationals in other Member States, specifically for whose work
authorisations are linked to a single employer, as well as those involved in fraudulent
posting schemes.
Legally staying migrants with a marginalised status on the labour market (limited
language skills, low-skilled) also face a higher risk of undeclared work and
subsequent labour exploitation.
4.1 Framing the understanding of labour exploitation in this report
According to FRA’s definition, labour exploitation occurs when workers are treated below
minimum standards, deviating significantly from decent work. In this report, exploitation
is also understood as a continuum ranging from mild inconsistencies with the principles of
decent work to severe exploitation, characterised by distinctive forms and degrees of
immobility, devaluation, and coercion (Skrivankova, 2010). Please, see below below.
13
"3+2" as apprenticeships usually take three years and two years is how long the person will have the right to
remain and work in Germany.
18
Labour exploitation as a continuum
Source: ICF.
As with undeclared work, labour exploitation is defined differently in national labour and
criminal laws. It is clear that the continuum requires a closer integration of labour law and
criminal justice and cooperation between responsible authorities (see Section 6) and to
increase monitoring of workplaces, proactive investigations and encourage victims to
report in order to reduce impunity of exploitive work practices (see Section 7).
Severe labour exploitation refers to forms of exploitation that are criminal under the
legislation of the EU Member State in which they occur, so the police and the judicial system
are responsible. In extreme cases of exploitation, workers have been completely deprived
of their freedom of movement, leading to slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour
and trafficking (Article 5 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘the
Charter’).
FRA has carried out substantial research on forms of severe labour exploitation of EU
nationals working in another Member State and third-country nationals. While the Agency’s
work focuses on forms of severe labour exploitation that fall under criminal law, this report
focuses on labour exploitation within the framework of an employment relationship in the
area of labour law interventions, so in the realm of labour and social inspectorates or social
insurance agencies, also responsible for addressing undeclared work.
Forms of labour exploitation considered in this report
Compared with undeclared work, labour exploitation undermines a wider set of
obligations by employers and to fair and decent work, in relation to:
Undeclared work, which can be one form of labour exploitation. For example, if the
employer refuses to register a worker or simply tells him or her he has done so. In
turn, undeclared work increases the risk of exploitation, because the worker is
‘hidden’ from authorities and the employer can threaten a non-EU national to report
him or her.
Payment, such as infrequent, low or below minimum wage payment, the deduction
of (random) fees from income, or no social security benefits.
Working time; according to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), there
are reports of excessive working hours (often without remuneration), the denial of
breaks or leave.
Health and safety regulations, such as hazardous working conditions, no access to
protective equipment, or inadequate or inappropriate housing.
19
No access to other basic rights, such as no written contracts, lacking information by
the employer or no collective labour rights and/or the access to trade unions.
Pressuring the worker to work as self-employed or in atypical work relations, which
are less ‘protected’ and shift social security contributions to the worker.
Whilst some employers and workers intentionally decide not to declare work or to work
without a work authorisation, labour exploitation results from dependency on the employer
who exercise their power over the worker to cut costs. Employers develop strategies to
control workers (such as threats, isolation, or debt-bondage further described below) to
undermine decent work in order to save costs. Here, employers target groups at risk of
exclusion from the labour market and wider society: low-skilled workers, unemployed
and/or migrants.
Strategies of employers to exercise control
Research by FRA (FRA, 2019; FRA, 2018; FRA, 2015) as well as insights from interviews
done for the purpose of this report point towards the following strategies to increase
employers’ control over the worker:
Employers’ strategies create a fearful and intimidating environment. They can be
threats (e.g. dismissal or to report the worker), psychological and verbal violence,
and degrading treatment used to intimidate workers and prevent them from
reporting the exploitation to the authorities.
The spatial and social isolation of many exploited workers, especially in domestic
and agricultural settings, is often enhanced by employers’ actions to prevent any
communication with the outside world and thus the possibility of seeking help.
Confiscation of personal documents is another strategy that exploitative employers
use to prevent workers from seeking help or having the option to return home.
Another control element is accommodation, including improper housing, living at the
workplace or at the employer’s home, so that the employer determines not only
work but also access to food and transport. The ETUC states that, in the transport
sector, workers have been forced to sleep in their trucks for months, without any
access to weekly rest periods.
Specific strategies are adopted to minimise the risk of detection during labour
inspections, including requesting workers to hide or absent themselves during
inspections, lie about real work conditions or pretend not to understand the language
that labour inspectors speak.
The problems become even more critical when income is not sufficient to pay
obligatory housing fees for accommodation arranged by the employer. As a result,
some workers even become indebted to their employer, so called ‘debt-bondage’.
The following subsections set out different irregularities of third-country nationals related
to their residence and work status, describing factors that can lead to undeclared work and
labour exploitation. Out of the three groups of third-country nationals, presented at the
beginning of the report, greater attention is paid to profiles 2 and 3 (see below), as they
are at a higher risk of being engaged in undeclared work and labour exploitation.
4.2 Different ways of engaging in undeclared work amongst non-EU national and
their relation to labour exploitation
While there is evidence that non-EU nationals often engage in undeclared work in their
host nations (Kindler et al., 2013, Shahid et al., 2019; Williams, forthcoming), their
intention to work undeclared and their risk of being exposed to labour exploitation is
determined by their residency (regularly/irregularly staying) and work status (work
authorisation with significant limitations, expired, non-valid or non-existent right to work).
For those groups, different types of irregularities and risks apply with regard to undeclared
20
work and labour exploitation, so this report differentiates between three groups of third-
country nationals:
Legally residing third-country nationals with a fully flexible work authorisation;
Legally residing third-country nationals with a restricted work authorisation; and
Legally residing third-country nationals without a right to work (their status may not
grant them access to the labour market, they may need to apply for a work
authorisation separately, or their work authorisation has expired) and irregularly
staying third-country nationals.
below presents the different irregularities in terms of entry, residence, work and form of
employment, showing how these groups could enter illegal employment and undeclared
work. It provides sample ‘profiles’ of third-country nationals in each case, which are then
discussed in this report.
21
Irregularities in EU entry, residence, work authorisation and form of employment
Source: Adapted from OECD, 2018, Migration Outlook.
22
Migrants in the first profile enter the EU legally, have a valid residence permit/visa and
authorisation to work that grants them full access to the labour market. They however face
a slightly higher risk of working undeclared and under exploitative conditions than nationals
and other EU citizens, as they lag behind socio-economically (e.g. lower employment levels).
Third-country nationals whose work authorisation has restrictions may be somewhat more
likely to work undeclared. For example, it is because they need more money than they can
earn with the limited hours allowed, or because they find better opportunities in
sectors/with employers not permitted by their status. They are also more vulnerable, as
breach of the conditions of their status may lead to withdrawal or non-renewal of their
authorisation to stay and work, and – ultimately – deportation. They may thus be reluctant
to complain about working conditions, even when their employment is entirely regular.
The third group, i.e. all those who are in an entirely irregular situation or without a right
to work, so those working illegally, have no choice but to work undeclared (with the
exception of overstayers whose employer may not (yet) be aware that their authorisation
to stay and work has expired
14
). They, too, actively seek to avoid any contact with
authorities, significantly increasing their risk of labour exploitation. That risk is higher than
for the other two groups, with irregularly staying workers more reluctant to report labour
rights violations and/or exploitation to law enforcement authorities, often combined with
the belief that authorities cannot help (FRA, 2019). As a result, irregularly staying third-
country nationals or those without a work authorisation are likely to make up a good share
of those engaged in undeclared work.
4.3 Profile 1: Regularly staying third-country nationals with fully flexible work
authorisations
Some third-country nationals who entered the EU legally possess regular residence and
work permits that allow them to access any formal employment. As in the wider population,
undeclared work can take different forms amongst this group. One or several additional
jobs can be undeclared, or a person can work partially undeclared if they work overtime
without declaring this additional income, if they received envelope wages, are bogus self-
employed, or receive salaries below the levels of collective agreements or statutory
minimum wages.
However, even if there are no restrictions on their work authorisation, many third-country
nationals still face significant challenges in the labour market that can drive them into
undeclared work.
Socio-economic barriers are particularly reflected in the employment rate gap between EU
nationals and third-country nationals. In 2019, the EU-27 employment rate for people aged
20 to 64 years was 64.4 % for third-country nationals, compared to 75.3 % for EU
nationals residing in another Member State and 73.9 % for the native-born population
(Eurostat, 2019). In addition, migrant workers often earn less than their native-born peers,
which can only partly be explained by differences in work experience, education or
occupation (ILO, 2015).
The main barriers for third-country nationals are lack of language skills, limitations of
qualification recognition and skills validation, cultural differences, and discrimination (EMN,
2019). Refugees often face additional barriers, including health issues or mental health
problems caused by traumatic experiences. Member States are obliged to provide
employment-related education, vocational training and other steps necessary to refugees’
integration into the labour market. However, integration approaches differ between
Member States, with those with high numbers of asylum applicants more likely to have
invested in such measures. Especially income declaration requires good language skills,
14
There is little information on illegal employment in declared work. The literature mentions that there are cases
where irregular immigrants are illegally employed but pay taxes and social security contributions in countries
where legal employment status and nature of employment are not systematically cross-checked (OECD, 2018;
Kahler, 2009).
23
knowledge of responsible authorities and often digital literacy and navigating quite complex
rules and support is often inaccessible, especially for low-skilled workers.
This marginalised status of third-country nationals can lead to undeclared work because
especially low-skilled or migrants who do not know the local language, might not be aware
about certain rules. In addition, undeclared work can be one form of labour exploitation.
According to the ETUC, employers sometimes fail to declare an otherwise legally working
and residing third-country national, either due to lack of knowledge of existing regulations
or because the employer has simply lied to them and told them that they were declared.
In other cases, workers can be pressured into undeclared work by their employer.
Next to labour market exclusion there can be other motivations to engage in undeclared
work, such as economic benefit, socially embedded obligations and beliefs that are not in
line with the existing regulations (Shahid et al., 2017; Williams, forthcoming). One Platform
member noted that some migrants have little trust in public institutions, which is consistent
with research findings that non-EU nationals have lower confidence in public institutions
than mobile EU-nationals or the native population (Williams et al.,2020).
However, even if a regularly staying non-EU national and his or her employer decide to
engage in undeclared work, the worker is still at greater risk of labour exploitation. An
employer can put more pressure on the worker to work more under exploitative conditions
by threatening to report violations (e.g. evasion of social security and tax payments), which
may lead to a loss of the right of residency for the third-country national.
4.4 Profile 2: Third-country nationals with a restricted work authorisation
Some third country nationals with a regular residency status are allowed to work, but face
certain restrictions. Those limitations may encourage certain employers to pressure them
into undeclared work and other exploitive conditions. Once they breach conditions of their
work permit, dependence on the employer increases, as this threatens their right to stay
in the country.
Regularly staying migrants with certain restrictions in their authorisation to work are at
higher risk of engaging in undeclared work and potential subsequent exploitation in the
following cases:
Work authorisation is linked to a specific post or employer;
Misuse of posting regulations (here, the restriction is time-bond, as companies can
post regularly staying third-country nationals with a work and residence permit in one
EU Member State where they normally work, to another Member State only for a
limited amount of time); and
Third-country nationals with restricted access to the labour market, including asylum
seekers, students, spouses who are being united with their family, etc.
Some Member States have tied their national work authorisations to a specific job and
employer,
15
something which also applies to EU Blue Card holders. Here, employers can
develop strategies to exploit the situation of third-country nationals whose residency
permit is tied to the employer. Workers risk losing their income and their right to stay if
they wish to change employer. Many workers may need to repay debts for travelling to
the country and/or their families may rely on their income, thus they often tolerate
undeclared work and other precarious conditions in order to stay in employment and keep
their regular status. The Seasonal Workers Directive explicitly regulates the change of
employer in order ‘to reduce the risk of abuse that seasonal workers may face if tied to a
single employer’.
In addition, if a migrant loses their job, the limited time they have to find other employment
may force workers into situations where they might accept undeclared work or labour
exploitation. In Slovakia, for example, non-EU workers who lose their job must find other
15
Such as in Estonian, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden (EMN, 2013).
24
employment within 60 days or their temporary residence permit becomes invalid and they
are obliged to leave (Chudžíková et al., 2018). FRA recommends that residence permits of
third-country workers should not be automatically terminated if they lose their job (FRA,
2015).
Another increased risk of undeclared work and other forms of labour exploitation of
regularly staying migrants with a work authorisation is the use of fraudulent posting
schemes. In this specific case, work is not only restricted to a certain time frame in the
country the worker is posted to, but also requires the worker to be habitually employed in
the sending Member State, so that the posting qualifies as genuine.
Example: Fraudulent posting of third-country nationals
According to several Platform members interviewed in this report, more liberal practices
with issuing work authorisations combined with fraudulent posting of third-country
nationals is a growing challenge for enforcement authorities. Generally, the admission of
a third-country national to the labour market is nationally determined; however, the
Directives regulating the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of
services
16
allow companies to post legally staying and habitually working third-country
nationals with a work and residence permit between different countries for a temporary
provision of service under the same conditions as EU nationals. No work authorisation is
allowed to be requested in the country where the posting takes place, although some
countries require the employer of the posted worker to make a declaration before
starting work and some Member States also ask copies of work and residence permits.
In the area of social security coordination, legally staying and working third-country
nationals can be posted under the same conditions as EU nationals. A1 forms indicate
the social security system that applies to a worker who works in more than one EU
Member State. However, information on nationality is not a formal requirement to issue
an A1 form, thus there are no data on the numbers of third-country nationals actually
posted to a second Member State.
There are several reported cases where third-country nationals have been posted from
one Member State – one with lower wages and social security contributions, which serves
as a ‘transit’ country – to a Member State with higher wages and social security
contributions. According to the interview with ETUC, this is linked to an increase in issued
permits in countries that relaxed their labour market restrictions to allow third-country
nationals to work in several professions, in some cases through bi-lateral arrangements
between countries. These workers are then posted from one EU Member State to another
Member State, sometimes without any prior employment in the sending Member State.
For example, the Polish ‘Declarations of intention to entrust work to a foreigner’ is a
temporary permit for citizens from the Eastern partnership (Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus,
Georgia, Moldova, Russia) and grants, on the basis of a written confirmation by an
employer, a Polish visa or a Schengen visa for a maximum of six months during a 12-
month period. There are also reports about longer posting arrangements from Poland to
the Netherlands. In 2020, the Het Financieele Dagblad (Het Financieele Dagblad, 2020)
reports that Dutch employment agencies hire workers from Poland in the Netherlands
via so called A1-payrolling for a maximum of two years. Ukrainians, Uzbeks or other
third-country nationals with Polish visas are also working under these arrangements,
which fall under Polish social security.
Slovenia provides further insight into the use of posting as a transit mechanism for third-
country nationals. A country with only two million inhabitants, Slovenia is ranked third-
highest sending Member State, with 163 000 A1 forms issued in 2017, 6 out of 10 of
which were within the construction sector (Eurofound, 2020). According to ETUC, a
16
Posting of workers directive 96/71 as amended by Directive 2018/957 and its Enforcement Directive
2014/67.
25
considerable part of posted workers from Slovenia to other Member States have been
third-country nationals from the Balkans.
In receiving Member States such as Belgium, the number of posted third-country
nationals now outnumbers posted EU citizens. According to the Belgian LIMOSA
17
database, 90 % of these third-country nationals are in fact posted through another EU
Member State (Dutch Trade Union Confederation (FNV), 2019). In the Belgian
construction sector, posted workers (EU-nationals and non-EU nationals from Eastern
European countries) are generally subcontracted by smaller companies and employed in
large construction companies (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2019).
Posting is often facilitated by official agencies or informal intermediaries who arrange
visas and the posting arrangement. For example, Ukrainian intermediaries advertise jobs
in Czechia with a Polish visa and posting arrangement. This is also due to lower employer
social security contributions in Poland or to omit social security payment in Poland via
fake or no A1 forms (Trčka et al., 2018).
Fraudulent posting practices include no habitual employment in the sending country, not
registering the posted worker in the receiving country, overstaying the restricted time
of posting, or violations of working conditions and minimum pay. Fraudulent temporary
work agencies, letterbox companies and company branches and subsidiaries are used in
countries where obtaining a permit may be easier and cheaper wage regulations apply.
Migrants are then hired under these schemes and employed as posted workers under
contracts from countries with which neither the employer nor worker has any real
connection. Labour inspectors in sending countries confirm that it often becomes clear
during inspections that workers have never worked in the sending Member State and
were in reality directly recruited to work in the host country.
One example concerns third-country nationals from the Philippines, who were recruited
to work for a Dutch transport company in Belgium but asked to sign a contract with a
Slovak company so that they could work for Slovak-level wages (FRA, 2019). Another
case of fraudulent posting relates to Polish companies that sent Ukrainian workers
holding a Polish visa to work unregistered and for an unlimited time to the Czech
construction and hotel sectors, where workers face very high workloads under
exploitative working conditions (Trčka et al., 2018). These arrangements increase
employers’ influence over workers, as they arrange not only their employment but often
their travel and accommodation.
Fraudulent posting seems to frequently involve migrant workers in seasonal work in
agriculture, construction, transport and tourism (Eurofound, 2016). Sectors where
subcontracting schemes using fraudulent posting are especially difficult for enforcement
authorities to detect and can involve letterbox companies which ‘disappear’ during
investigations (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017b). In Czechia, for
example, the labour inspectorate often struggles to identify the enterprise liable for
contracting workers for a company in the country (Trčka et al., 2018).
Restrictions of work authorisations of asylum seekers increase the likelihood that they will
engage in undeclared work and under exploitative conditions (Karantinos, 2016). As
mentioned above, according to the Reception Conditions Directive, Member States shall
ensure that asylum seekers who have applied for international protection have access to
the labour market no later than nine months from the date of their application. Before this,
it may be likely that asylum seekers work more than allowed to gain income while they
wait for their decision enabling unscrupulous employers to fill low-paid jobs.
With regard to family reunification, while around half of the Member States provide
unrestricted access to the labour market, others apply a labour market test before family
17
Posted workers need to file a Limosa declaration in Belgium. Non-compliance with this obligation may give rise
to criminal or administrative sanctions.
26
members are authorised to work or require them to apply for a specific work authorisation
(EMN, 2016), which may make undeclared work an option to gain additional income.
4.5 Profile 3 Irregularly residing third-country nationals and third-country
nationals without a right to work
Many people across Europe live in an irregular situation because of their irregular residency
and/or non-existent right to work. It is likely that most of them enter the labour market
irregularly and undeclared. Whilst there are also migrants in this group who work
undeclared without any exposure to labour exploitation, their residence and employment
status forces them to remain hidden (Willen, 2007), making them in many cases
particularly vulnerable to undeclared work and exploitative working conditions (Wills et al.,
2010.).
Legally staying third-country nationals without a right to work
Third-country nationals regularly staying on the territory of a Member State but without
the right to access the labour market may have entered the EU on a tourist visa, as asylum
seekers (the first nine months and several Member States provide earlier access), or under
the Family Reunification Directive (if the sponsor is not authorised to work either, or if the
Member State opts to introduce limitations on access to the labour market).
Temporary visas/permits that are not designed for work, such as tourist visas, are time
limited and their holders are not allowed to work (or may work only a limited amount of
hours, see profile 2 above). However, there are cases where third-country workers arrive
on a tourist visa arranged by their employer (Chudžíková et al., 2018; FRA, 2019) but, in
reality, they work in full-time jobs that breach the conditions of their visa. Third-country
nationals who possess tourist visas and engage in work can be considered to enter the
labour market irregularly, are likely to work undeclared and to face exploitative conditions.
Another issue are people who arrived for the purposes of family reunification, one of the
main legal migration routes into the EU. The literature raises the question of spouse-
dependent residence permits that are linked to the residence and work permit of a partner
but do not include a work permit. This often makes women dependent on their partner
and/or leads to them enter illegal employment (van Walsum, 2011; Triandafyllidou, 2013).
Finally, asylum seekers (in the first nine month of their stay or those without nationally
regulated access to the labour market) and rejected asylum applicants are not allowed to
work. While most asylum seekers wish to take up work as soon as possible, some may opt
to work informally, while others do not engage in work at all, in order not to jeopardise
their status (Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2016). Therefore, asylum seekers who are not allowed
to work or people with ‘tolerated’ status often have no other choice than to generate
income via undeclared work, resulting in a higher risk of labour exploitation
(Triandafyllidou, 2020).
Irregularly staying third-country nationals
Across the EU, the main possible source of income for people in an irregular situation is
undeclared or illegal employment, which places them at a very high risk of exploitation.
Whilst there are no definite numbers on irregularly staying migrants, many people
18
became irregular in different ways. Some entered the EU irregularly, through entry outside
of the regulations of sending, transit and receiving countries (IOM, 2011). The most severe
forms of such illegal entry and related labour exploitation typically occur where third-
country nationals are smuggled or trafficked across borders.
Trajectories of labour market entry and legal status are important in understanding shifts
in and out of undeclared work and illegal employment (OECD, 2018). People may have
entered the country legally on a temporary status, such as a tourist visa, and start working
18
See Section 2: Globally, an estimated 10-15 % of all migrants are in an irregular situation (IOM, 2010). In
2008, the number was estimated at between 1.9 million and 3.8 million in EU-27 (PICUM, 2020).
27
without an authorisation to work and may also stay and work in the country beyond its
validity. An example are Vietnamese women who entered Poland on a tourist visa, resulting
in irregular status and undeclared work (Kindler et al., 2013). Others are allowed to work
without a work authorisation, but end up working in conditions that do not fully correspond
to the applicable regulations. For instance, Ukrainians entered Poland via a simplified
procedure known as the ‘Declaration of intent to employ foreigners’ (Oświadczenia o
zamiarze powierzenia wykonywania pracy cudzoziemcowi), allowing Polish companies to
employ citizens of the EU Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus,
Georgia, Moldova and Russia) for up to six months in a 12-month period without a work
permit. Most of these workers use intermediaries to arrange country entry and
employment, who often apply various strategies to prevent regular employment or to
arrange fraudulent posting, as described above (Keryk, 2018). Others have a residence or
work authorisation that expires or becomes invalidated (because they lose their job or
leave it because their employer is not respecting their labour rights). Thus, they have
regular residence status at the time of their recruitment, which then leads to an irregular
status and possible dependence on a specific employer.
For most people in an irregular situation, work constitutes their only form of income. This
dependency makes irregularly staying third-country nationals particularly vulnerable to
working below minimum standards, often with little or no remuneration and being
undeclared. Hence, undeclared work is often one form of exploitative conditions they face,
next to poor living conditions or long working hours, to more severe forms of exploitation,
such as trafficking for forced labour. Moreover, third-country nationals with an irregular
residence status face fundamental barriers to access justice and to improve their situation
(Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), 2020).
Even in countries where regularisation schemes exist,
19
employers may be reluctant to
offer a work contract allowing third-country national workers to apply for residence
(PICUM, 2020). It is often the case that those who stay in a country irregularly have to
leave the country if they wish to apply for a regular permit, which is often impossible.
An example of a situation of third-country nationals and their difficulties when experiencing
labour exploitation is described below.
Example: Construction workers in Germany
20
In June 2019, the German Financial Control of Undeclared Work
21
Unit (Finanzkontrolle
Schwarzarbeit – FKS), together with the NGO, Berlin Counselling Centre for Migration
and Decent Work (BEMA), part of the nationwide counselling services ‘Arbeit und Leben’,
investigated suspected trafficking in human beings and labour exploitation of around 120
workers from Serbia, Kosovo and Albania in a major construction company.
The workers had entered the country on short-term student visas and were likely to lose
their work and their work-related accommodation as a result of the investigation. Their
employer was accused of forging documents to obtain the student visas, paying below
minimum wage, and imposing working hours that exceeded student visa regulations.
Initially, the state attorney viewed all of the workers as victims of human trafficking and
granted a reflection period (under Directive 2011/36/EU) entitling them to a short-term
residence permit, accommodation and social benefits while they decided whether or not
to testify against their employer.
However, workers were denied this reflection period, as the migration authorities did not
accept the state attorney’s decision to issue a residence permit. Instead, all of the
19
The possibility of irregularly staying worker to obtain the residency in the country and regularise their situation,
see Section 8.3.
20
Based on interview with ETUC.
21
See also Section 6.4. The 2019 ‘Act to combat Illegal Employment’ stipulates also cooperation with specialised
NGOs.
28
workers detained during the inspection were accused of working illegally and entering
the country irregularly. Their passports were confiscated, and they were given individual
appointments at the foreigners’ registration office to retrieve their documents – in some
cases, six weeks later. As the workers were not granted victim status, the migration
authorities had no legal basis for accommodating them, although they maintained
arrangements for several days to avoid approximately 130 becoming homeless
overnight. Most of the workers wanted to leave Germany but had to wait to reclaim their
documents. They each received a two-year ban on entering the Schengen area, based
on the assumption that they had allegedly worked more hours than permitted by their
short-term visas.
5 DIFFERENT PATHWAYS INTO UNDECLARED WORK AND LABOUR
EXPLOITATION
This Section outlines risk groups of third-country national workers involved in undeclared
work, the methods used to recruit them, the link between labour exploitation and
recruitment method, and the sectors in which undeclared work is most prevalent.
Key findings
Undeclared migrant workers in high-risk economic sectors seem to be primarily from
countries with lower standards of living than in the EU (often also with higher levels
of undeclared work) according to inspectors and social partners.
The risk of engaging in undeclared work and experiencing labour exploitation is
highest among those who cannot enter legal employment and/or low-skilled workers
and those who do not know the host language.
Recruitment into undeclared work differs between economic sectors. Recruitment
intermediaries facilitate employment in agriculture, housework or transport, while
pick-up spots or social contacts were used in smaller-scale operations, house
renovation or gardening, often based on non-declared cash-payments. Recruitment
via private contacts was frequently observed in the hospitality sector.
Fraudulent work agencies and social networks isolated from the host society seem
to be most connected to exploitative working conditions. They have developed
specific strategies to increase control over workers, such as debt-bondage or
isolating workers.
Undeclared work of third-country nationals is prominent in sectors with a high
demand for a flexible workforce in labour-intensive jobs, often in workplaces that
are less visible to the public and authorities. Some sectors are highly gendered.
5.1 Third-country nationals at greatest risk
While there are no statistical data on third-country nationals engaging in undeclared work,
the highest risk group of those engaging in undeclared work and exposure to labour
exploitation are those who cannot enter regular employment, as discussed above.
According to FRA (2018), those who lived in poverty at home, as well as low-skilled workers
and those without language skills in the country of work might face a higher risk of
exploitation.
Low-skilled workers and those with missing language skills are at high risk
Language skills are viewed as a key condition and predictor for migrants to be socially and
economically integrated in the host Member State (Barbulescu, R., 2019; Adsera et al.,
2016; Goodman et al., 2015; Goodman, S.W., 2014).
Knowledge of the host language has
a significant influence on third-country nationals’ prospects of finding employment and
engaging in decent work. Strong language skills are associated with better occupational
29
status, both for EU and for non-EU migrants. In most Member States, the ability to
communicate in the host country’s official language is a closely linked to obtain a residence
permit. For example, in Germany refugees have the right to a language and civic
orientation course.
Without sufficient language skills, third-country nationals are at higher risk of entering
undeclared work and exploitative working conditions. Language barriers can also lead to
accidental non-compliance with labour or migration law (OECD, 2018), preventing them
from understanding their rights and the terms and conditions of their employment (FRA,
2019; Chudžíková et al., 2018). According to the 2013 Adult Education Survey (AES), 6 %
of third-country nationals did not know any of the official languages of the EU Member
States (with differences varying from 0-60 % between the different Member States) and
those with limited language skills were more likely to be unemployed (Gazzola, 2017).
The AES also indicates that third-country nationals are overall less educated than EU
nationals or mobile EU citizens. Within this group, there is also evidence that irregularly
residing migrants are lower educated than regularly staying foreign workers (OECD, 2018).
Even if non-EU nationals are qualified, they often work below their qualifications. Despite
the establishment of the Professional Qualifications Directive (Directive 2005/36/ EC) and
its revisions in 2013 (2013/55/EU), for a smooth recognition system within the EU,
validation of skills and qualifications is uneven across countries (Kondle-Seidl, 2017). This
challenge may apply particularly to beneficiaries of international protection, who often have
difficulty providing the documentation certifying their qualifications and skills. They are
moreover keen to work for their societal integration and/or to send money home, so
barriers to deploy their skills and qualifications may lead to the acceptance of low-skilled,
precarious and/or undeclared work.
Those challenges, limited language skills and being hindered from attaining or validating
their educational or vocational qualifications – and often combined with limited social
networks – limit migrants’ chances of knowing their rights and obligations, as well as the
benefits of declared work. This challenge is exacerbated for those staying irregularly, as
they cannot access integration measures and have restricted access to justice.
Third-country nationals at risk mostly come from countries with lower living
standards
Better economic opportunities and higher standards of living in the EU are significant pull
factors of immigration. Groups of migrants mentioned by Platform members interviewed
in this study come mostly from North and Central Africa, Asia, the Western Balkans and
the Eastern Partnership countries.
Estimates suggest that these countries are characterised by some of the largest shares of
the informal economy globally (ILO, 2018). In other words, it is more likely that third-
country nationals from these regions have already been exposed to or engaged in
undeclared work in their home countries. According to Williams et al. (2020), third-country
nationals who engage in undeclared work in their country of origin tend to engage in
undeclared work abroad. However, there is no empirical evidence that the majority of third-
country nationals from these countries and regions are engaged in undeclared work within
the EU. Nor do the interviews suggest that third-country nationals in situations of
informality and exploitation tend to be from any particular country. There are,
nevertheless, similarities in the sectors that most third-country nationals work in and that
are monitored by enforcement authorities (see Table 1 below).
30
Table 1. Undeclared work, illegal employment and labour exploitation: main
sectors and nationalities
Sectors and nationalities
Belgium
Statistics from the SIOD/SIRS
22
suggest that irregularly staying
and illegally employed third-country nationals are mainly from
Morocco, Brazil, Angola, Macedonia, Cape Verde and Guinea-
Bissau. Regularly staying and illegally employed third-country
nationals are mainly from Pakistan, Brazil, Morocco, Algeria,
Turkey and Cape Verde.
Affected sectors include: car washes, restaurants, night shops,
cleaning services, services in private households, second-hand
clothing businesses, meat processing businesses, renovation
works.
According to the experience of the Belgian labour inspection
services, third-country nationals are mostly found in very small-
scale undertakings, in many cases working for an employer who
is themselves a foreign national or of foreign origin (EMN, 2017).
Finland
Many third-country nationals engaged in undeclared work and/or
illegal employment are working in restaurants, which often have
migrant owners. Third-country nationals are mainly from Asia
(China, Vietnam, Thailand) or the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iran)
and, to some extent, from the Western Balkans (Kosovo), who
have valid residence permits, but engage in undeclared work.
Specifically, since 2015, there are many asylum seekers working
in restaurants without a valid work permit.
Construction is the second largest sector for third-country
nationals, with increasing numbers from former Soviet Republics
(such as Uzbekistan), engaged in undeclared work.
The third largest sector where undeclared work of third-country
nationals occurs, is the cleaning sector. These are mostly people
from Africa who have a student visa but work full-time. Other third-
country nationals are from Afghanistan (asylum seekers), Sri
Lanka and Russia. In 2019, 62 inspections in southern Finland
showed that two-thirds of asylum seekers inspected were engaged
in illegal work in the cleaning sector.
France
Third-country nationals working illegally and/or undeclared are
mostly from North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Africa,
Eastern Partnership (Ukraine and Moldova were mentioned by
interviewees), China, and Bangladesh. The trade union
organisation, CGT, observed that Sub-Saharan workers tend to
be more ‘organised’ with a support network. They work in
conditions that are often exploitative but, in general, know their
rights. Asian workers also have strong networks but it is difficult
for trade unions to reach out or intervene, as there is usually a
strong dependency on the employer and it is challenging for the
employee to denounce their employer, who usually operates in
the same social network. Workers from Eastern Partnership
countries tend to be women.
Undeclared workers are often active in the hospitality sector (e.g.
dishwashers, kitchen helpers etc.), construction, waste collection,
22
Social information and investigation service, Belgium.
31
Sectors and nationalities
domestic services, and the preparation and delivery of parcels.
Workers in these sectors frequently have false papers or a
residence permit belonging to someone else, giving the
appearance of legality. In addition, there are cases of systemic
ethnic discrimination in the construction sector, with tasks and a
place in the work hierarchy assigned by nationality (e.g, certain
nationalities obtain specific positions).
Agriculture is another sector with illegal employment, poor
working conditions and some cases of human trafficking. Workers
are often unaware of their rights and are vulnerable. It is not
uncommon for employers to retain a portion of the salary for
accommodation (with extremely low standards) and meals. This
is often accompanied by violence and intimidation.
Germany
Illegal employment and undeclared work of third-country
nationals is most common in labour-intensive sectors with a high
fluctuation of personnel and flexible workplaces, such as
construction, hotel, the restaurant and catering trade, transport,
industrial cleaning businesses, domestic cleaning and care,
agriculture and the meat industry (EMN, 2017). Undeclared work
and illegal employment are also prevalent in the private security
industry, another sector with changing workplaces and demand
for a flexible workforce.
The German Institute for Human Rights raised concerns that third-
country nationals from Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Argentina,
Ecuador or Peru are exposed to undeclared work and labour
exploitation (German Institute for Human Rights, 2018). In
addition, there have been concerns about refugees from countries
like Syria, Iraq, Turkey or Iran to work undeclared and under
insufficient working conditions, with low pay (NDR, 2016).
Italy
Concerns about illegal and undeclared work, linked to labour
exploitation of third-country nationals from the EU’s Eastern
Neighbourhood, Africa, southeast Asia and Latin America have
been raised (Gertel et al., 2014; Corrado et al., 2016; Nori,
2017).
North African workers are commonly found in the south Italian
agriculture sector, recruited mainly through ‘capolarato’ (see
Section 5.3.4).
Poland
2019 inspections on illegal employment by the National Labour
Inspectorate found 84 % Ukrainians, 7 % Belarusians, and the
remainder from Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Georgia and the
Philippines. Most worked illegally in construction, for temporary
work agencies, in manufacturing, transport and hospitality.
Spain
Third-country nationals (often from Morocco and Latin America)
who engage in undeclared work often perform low-skilled jobs.
The contratacion en origen (contracting in countries of origin)
mechanism recruits mostly women from Morocco to work in
agriculture, often under exploitive conditions (European
Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
(FEMM), 2018).
32
Sectors and nationalities
Sweden
Illegal employment, undeclared work and labour exploitation of
third-country nationals is a serious issue in the construction
sector, mostly with people from Uzbekistan, Georgia, Ukraine and
Armenia. During inspections, illegal work is discovered, often
arranged via subcontracting chains.
There are also signs of undeclared work in the beauty business
and berry picking (Thai and Vietnamese women), transportation,
restaurants (Chinese and Bangladeshi) and car washes.
About 40% of asylum applications are rejected which poses a
challenge in terms of undeclared and illegal employment.
Moreover, many non-EU Eastern Europeans such as Ukrainian
workers are employed on zero-hour contracts
(behovsanställning), which often leaves them without a steady
monthly salary (Palumbo et al, 2020).
Netherlands
Main areas of concern raised by the inspectorate are fraudulent
internships for Chinese nationals (EMN, 2017), domestic workers,
mostly from Brazil who come on au pair visas, women from
Vietnam working in nail bars (possibly victims of human
trafficking). Other high-risk sectors are horticulture, cleaning,
temporary employment agencies, the hospitality industry,
construction, meat processing and transport.
Source: Based on interviews and written input from Platform members, CGT (France), EMN
(Germany) and European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM),
2018) (Spain).
Younger migrants are more likely to engage in undeclared work
An analysis of the age structure of the EU population in 2018 shows that, for the EU-27 as
a whole, the non-EU population was younger than the host population,
23
at 36 years and
44 years, respectively. In addition, 15-24 year olds of the whole population are in general
more likely to be engaged in undeclared work (Eurobarometer, 2020). Data from
regularisation schemes in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal from 1997-2205 show a
majority of young men in those schemes (OECD, 2018). Therefore, the share of younger
age groups of third-country nationals engaged in undeclared work is likely higher than
among older migrants.
Some sectors are highly gendered
Migrant women and men are often divided into different sectors of the economy in the
EU/EEA (Kofman et al., 2013). This is likely driven by gender-based stereotyping, which
attributes certain skills and capacities to each gender (see Section 6.3.1 on domestic work).
Women primarily work in sectors such as domestic care work and cleaning, which is
particularly evident in Southern countries with less public provision of care services, such
as Spain and Italy. In instances of irregular employment, gender-based discrimination
provides an economic incentive to exploit the vulnerabilities of workers. For example, men
and women working in agriculture are often segregated into separate living quarters, a
more efficient use of housing space that cuts the cost of housing irregular workers (ILO,
2016). Women are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, as there is a greater risk of
gender-based violence, sexual abuse, coercive recruitment and greater risk of human
23
Eurostat (2018). Age structure of the national and non-national populations, EU-28, 1 January 2018 (%)
Eurostat (migr_pop2ctz).
33
trafficking (European Parliament, 2018). This is worsened by the fact they often hold jobs
in highly gender segregated sectors.
5.2 Recruitment into undeclared work and labour exploitation differs between
sectors
Employers who set up undeclared jobs for regularly or irregularly staying third-country
national workers have developed different ways of finding their workforce. Recruitment
into such jobs is primarily found in sectors that require a flexible and often low-skilled
workforce.
Recent research by FRA (2019), based on interviews with exploited EU nationals and third-
country nationals staying regularly or irregularly, and interviews with Platform members,
identified several recruitment approaches:
Fraudulent temporary work agencies;
Private contacts and networks;
Online recruitment, often related to platform work; and
Pick-up spots.
There are differences in recruitment methods between sectors. For agriculture and
domestic work, most workers were recruited in their country of origin, while, in other
sectors, employment was found once in the country, e.g. pick-up spots for construction,
house renovation or gardening, or via social contacts. Recruitment in home countries
suggests active recruitment agencies for agriculture, domestic work and transport (FRA,
2019).
Example: the role of social networks in undeclared work and labour exploitation
Migration studies extensively discuss the role of social networks in the migration of third-
country nationals. Social networks are characterised by common nationalities, employers
or intermediaries (typically simultaneously), a shared language and cultural background,
as well as private links, such as family or friends (Koser et al., 2008).
Networks of migrants provide physical, social and cultural protection for third-country
nationals. This is particularly important for migrant groups that face prejudice or social
stigma by the host population (DeVerteuil, 2011). They also provide contact with a
shared culture, language and traditions and become a trusted source of information for
newly arrived third-country nationals. In addition, they are economically advantageous
spaces for migrants who can navigate without much language or knowledge of the host
country (Wilson et al., 1980; Zhou, 1998).
In some cases, such networks provide jobs, which could lead to undeclared work. This
often occurs in labour-intensive businesses, typically owned by people from the same
nationality, culture or social network, for example in restaurants, agriculture, street food
vendors, beauty salons and cleaning (Schrover et al., 2007; Jones et al., 2006;
McGregor, 2007). While these private connections provide employment opportunities,
they can also create isolation, making it more difficult for migrant workers to acquire
competence and comfort with the host language and culture (Sanders et al., 1987).
Especially third-country nationals with irregular residence status use their own social
networks with fellow nationals to find employment. While men usually use non-kin-
related networks, migrant women often find jobs (particular in domestic work or
childcare) via kin-related networks (Schrover et al., 2007).
Such businesses are therefore also seen as high-risk spots for labour exploitation of
newly arriving workers (Li, 2015). Some employers take advantage of the situation of
newly arrived third-country nationals and their trust, exploiting them to work with low
salaries, undeclared, in lack of sanitary conditions and overtime (without additional
payment). The fact that the employer and the employee are from the same migrant
network and/or ethnic background puts additional pressure on the workers, as this is
34
often his or her only contact and close family or social network bonds limit the likelihood
of reporting to the authorities.
Recruitment via private contacts was frequently observed in the hospitality sector.
Restaurant workers in Finland for example, claimed during inspections that they were
visiting friends. In Sweden, contact is often made with workers in their home country,
offering them a better position in an EU country. Workers then enter Sweden on a permit
arranged by this contact person, or on a tourist visa. In Finland and Sweden, asylum
seekers find illegal work or undeclared via private networks to gain additional income
and to feel a sense of inclusion during the wait for their asylum decision.
Enforcement authorities face challenges in accessing these networks because of the close
private links between employers and intermediaries.
While the FRA research could not establish a clear link between the different means of
recruitment and the severity of the labour exploitation, it nevertheless points to a strong
link between recruitment via fraudulent agencies and labour exploitation (FRA, 2019). As
these agencies organise journeys, country entry, accommodation and jobs, workers are
often completely dependent on them (FRA, 2019; Drbohlav et al., 2009, European Platform
tackling undeclared work, upcoming). Agencies are frequently established in the home
countries or have branches/mediators there who speak the same language, creating
greater trust than with the authorities in the host country. Recruitment agencies who link
workers to exploitative employment often charge high fees to the worker or promise non-
existent jobs/working conditions. Intermediaries may also act as employers, such as in the
case of Ukrainians in Slovakia, who receive cash payments and the agency keeps part of
their wages (Chudžíková et al., 2018).
Temporary work agencies, both in the EU and in third countries, proactively recruit third-
country nationals and promote their employment for the EU labour market. Temporary
employment agencies (‘Empresas de trabajo temporal’) are prominent in agricultural
regions, like Valencia or Murcia (European Parliament, 2018).
Gangmasters
24
also play a role, such as the south Italian ‘caporalato’, ‘an informal system
of labour mediation in agriculture, where the intermediary (the caporale) retains a part of
the worker's salary’ (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2019a; Perotta, 2015;
Williams et al., 2018). Caporale can also be friends, relatives and members of the same
ethnic enclave or network of workers with connections to agricultural employers (Corrado,
2017). This recruitment system is primarily used to hire third-country nationals from North
Africa. The Spanish domestic sector has also seen incidents of gangmasters recruiting
third-country nationals (European Trade Union Institute for Research (ETUI), 2018), or
established migrants act as gangmasters (‘manijeros’).
Once the employment relationship is arranged, employers and intermediates find various
ways to create dependency, such as peer pressure not to report the people who helped to
recruit within their private network, threats, debt bondage and overpricing accommodation
or providing insufficient accommodation (often used by fraudulent agencies and
intermediaries), confiscation of passports, denial of free time and social contact, and
isolation.
5.3 Sectors with a high share of undeclared work and illegal employment
Migration pressures in recent years, the economic and fiscal crisis in Europe, and the
economic impact of globalisation in sectors like agriculture or for small businesses have
led to strategies to cut costs, including relying on undeclared work, often via cheaper labour
by third-country nationals. At the same time, Europe’s ageing population means that
workforce shortages are becoming a more pressing problem. The COVID-19 pandemic has
highlighted the dependence on foreign workers in key, low-skilled sectors, such as
agriculture or domestic care services.
24
Usually a person who employs manual workers, often undeclared and under exploitive working conditions.
35
At sectoral level, undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-country nationals is likely
to be concentrated in sectors characterised by demand for a flexible, low-paid and low-
skilled workforce. This often falls under the ILO categorisation of ‘dangerous, dirty and
demeaning’ jobs, hidden and undesired by the native population. Within the EU, certain
sectors have anecdotal evidence of undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-
country nationals. The series of interviews conducted with national experts and social
partners from different Member States for this report (see Table 1) all pointed towards five
sectors as having the greatest risk of undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-
country nationals: agriculture, construction, hospitality, domestic work, and transport.
These sectors require low-skilled labour, knowledge of the local language is not always
necessary, and all have particular characteristics which create challenges for inspections
or other measures by the national authorities (geographical distance, multiple
subcontracting chains for recruiting workers, significant obstacles for exploited workers to
contact the authorities).
Sectors are presented below in order of the sectors in which undeclared work was most
often stated (Eurobarometer, 2019), although this does not provide a picture of migrants
engaging in undeclared work. The Section also includes two case studies on agriculture
and domestic work, two sectors that have been stressed in literature to have a high share
of non-EU workers.
Personal services: a female workforce
Undeclared work is widespread in the provision of personal services across Europe
(Eurobarometer, 2019). The survey suggests that around 34 % of all undeclared work
undertaken in the EU in 2019 was in personal and household services.
25
Those services are
often considered unattractive by the host population, as it is demanding, low-paid work,
with little or no career progression. However, workforce demand is likely to grow in
response to Europe’s ageing societies and increasing labour market participation of women.
Most of these services are performed by women. Women from third countries often seek
employment in households because jobs are relatively accessible, often requiring no
recognised qualifications or language skills. In countries with lower access and availability
of childcare or long-term care services, those type of services are often performed by
foreign employees.
In addition to domestic service portrayed below, there is anecdotal evidence that non-EU
female workers have jobs in industrial cleaning. A high share of non-EU workers was
observed in Sweden and Finland. The Swedish Tax Agency risk assessed reported salaries
in cleaning companies. The agency found that more than 60 companies paid an average
salary of below SEK 13 000 (c. EUR 1 228) per month – this is below the monthly salary
required by the Swedish Migration Agency for a residence and work permit. Of these, nearly
60 % staff had coordination numbers, i.e. they are not permanently registered in Sweden,
so this means that their employers declared higher salaries to the migration authority than
they actually paid out in order to get a permit, which is an indication of labour exploitation.
25
However, it should be noted that, by nature, the survey tends to focus on the private provision of undeclared
work.
36
Example: Domestic workers
In Europe, there were around 2.2 million
migrant domestic workers in 2016 (ILO, 2016).
However, this number does not include
undeclared work, illegal employment by
irregularly staying third-country nationals and
people who perform domestic tasks but are
registered differently, for example as care
workers.
Tasks range from household services, like
cooking, cleaning, gardening, often combined
with care for children or older people. The
sector is characterised by the intimate setting
of work in households, the personal relationship
between employee and employer and the
prevailing perception of ‘women’s work’
(Anderson, B., 2007, Cyrus, N., 2008, Lutz,
2008). Care services, particularly, require trust
and continuity for employer and employee.
In addition, the organisation of care services across Europe influences care
arrangements performed by third-country nationals, with southern European countries
relying on foreign workforce in private settings while migrants work in formal care
services in the Netherlands, Sweden or Norway (Triandafyllidou A. et al., 2020). The
share of migrant workers is particularly high in Italy - 75 % - and in Spain - 60 % of
all domestic workers (Lebrun et al., 2019). This also causes an accompanying ‘care
drain’ in their respective native countries.
Living situations of domestic workers
The living situation of third-country domestic workers varies. Many live in their
employers’ household – so-called ‘live-in migrants’ – while others provide services to
one or multiple households. They can be directly employed by the household, by a
private agency or self-employed, linked to the rise of platform work. ‘Live-in migrants’
are at particular risk of undeclared work with exploitive labour conditions because of
their invisibility and lack of representation.
The situation of foreign and native domestic workers depends on working time and
conditions regulations, taking into account the specifics of the work, such as a
predominantly female workforce and the situation of ‘live-in’ workers. While most
Member States have specific laws and/or collective bargaining agreements for domestic
work, the sector is only regulated by general labour law in some countries. For example,
in Poland, domestic work can be based on ‘civil law’ contracts, which do not provide
access to labour rights (Kindler et al., 2016). Few countries have collective bargaining
arrangements (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden) (Marchetti et al.,
2015).
Pathways into the sector
Very few countries recognise the demand for workforce in the sector and allow migrant
workers to obtain a permit for domestic work or impose labour market test
requirements. This might lead to the misuse of au pair schemes, bogus self-
employment or illegal employment (European Federation of Food, Agriculture and
Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), 2015; ILO, 2016; Sargeant, 2014).
Some Member States allow the legal entry of third-country nationals as au pairs with
residence tied to their host family. Such schemes can be misused for domestic workers,
as au pairs are not considered employees and thus do not have the same protection.
This is complicated by the fact that if the person experiences abuse, it is difficult for
The ILO Domestic Workers
Convention 2011 (No. 189)
promotes decent hiring, working,
and living conditions for all
domestic workers, including
migrants. It defines domestic
work as an employment relation
set in one or more households. It
advocates information about
employment terms, the use of
written contracts, sufficient social
security protection and
mechanisms to against abuse.
The convention has been ratified
by Belgium, Finland, Germany,
Ireland, Italy, Portugal and
Sweden.
37
them to change job, as their residence permit is linked to their employer. A report by
the European Parliament recommends protecting the rights of third-country au pairs
(now regulated in an optional way by the Students and Researchers Directive) by
registering au pairs and households and increasing inspections and support (European
Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), 2011).
Some domestic workers enter the country on a specific permit to provide services in a
diplomatic household. There is a risk that an employer can act with impunity, which
may lead to undeclared work or labour exploitation (EFFAT, 2015).
Other cases where illegal employment and undeclared work coincide include permits of
the spouse (often the husband), which allow their partner the right to residence but
not to work (or only on a limited basis). The privacy and informality of domestic work
is attractive to women in this situation, increases the dependency on income from
domestic work, and forces the person to remain in the relationship (Triandafyllidou,
2013).
Third-country nationals find employment in the domestic sector via three main
avenues: direct recruitment by households; private contacts; or private employment
agencies. The latter can be crucial in informing domestic workers about their rights but
can also lead to illegal, undeclared and exploitative working conditions. In Greece, for
example, employment agencies organised travel, accommodation and visas for African
workers, who travelled alone and were instructed to contact an intermediary in Greece.
They then worked as ‘live-in carers’, with long working hours and (often) little
compensation (Angeli, 2017).
Working conditions
Limited possibilities for legal migration and generally poor working conditions in the
sector enhance undeclared work and labour exploitation with long and/or atypical
working hours, little or no remuneration, little privacy and time off, as well as more
severe cases of exploitation, such as verbal or physical abuse, forced labour or
servitude (EFFAT, 2015; ILO, 2013). These issues are intensified for ‘live-in’ migrants
(FRA, 2017). Occupational accident rates are about twice as high for migrant domestic
workers as for native workers in Europe, and often third-country nationals – especially
those staying irregularly – do not seek medical consultation (Sargeant, 2014).
Third-country nationals lack awareness of their rights and may struggle to organise
themselves, often exacerbated by language and cultural barriers, and the fear of losing
their job or being deported. In addition, migrant workers face isolation due to their
workplaces and stereotypes of their nationality and gender. Examples of stereotypes in
the sector are that Filipino women are considered ‘ideal providers of care and household
services’ or migrant men face difficulties finding work in domestic work (van Walsum,
2011).
Construction – a sector with a high number of subcontracting chains
The construction sector is also a sector with high workforce demand. Moreover, it is
location-specific and requires a flexible workforce with a diverse range of (mostly manual)
skills. Migrant workers are often more flexible in their readiness to move from site to site,
acceptable levels of payment and working conditions.
Around one in five undeclared jobs in the EU-28 is performed in the construction sector
26
(Williams et al, 2020b, based on 2019 Eurobarometer survey results) and there is
anecdotal evidence that third-country workers ‘number in the thousands’, including
nationals from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mongolia, the Philippines, Ukraine and Vietnam,
26
However, it should be noted that by their nature, Eurobarometer surveys tend to over-focus on the private
supply of undeclared work and under-emphasise business-to-business undeclared work.
38
entering the EU through various Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs)
(European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), 2019).
A recent Eurobarometer survey suggests that undeclared work in the sector has increased
over time with a higher share in Central Europe and Southern Europe than in the Nordic
countries (Eurobarometer, 2020). The sector is highly volatile, and during the last
recession many workers (particularly men) from third countries lost their jobs, resulting in
lower wages and more undeclared work. Moreover, the number of third-country nationals
in the sector has increased, often arriving through Central and Eastern European countries
and recruited by intermediary agencies (European Federation of Building and
Woodworkers, 2019).
Another reason for the higher occurrence of undeclared work and labour exploitation is the
practice of long and complex subcontracting chains, where workers on one construction
site have different employers, reducing the ultimate responsibility of the employer for the
workers on site (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017c, 2017d).
There can be declared or undeclared (including irregularly staying third-country nationals)
workers, each subject to different working conditions, ranging from decent work to labour
exploitation. Irregularly staying migrants often have no access to declared employment
and work in the sector out of necessity (European Construction Industry Federation, 2006;
European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017c). However, in comparison with the
other sectors in this Section, union representation is higher in construction (Trčka et al.,
2018).
Observed labour exploitation in the sector includes the non-payment of wages, the
deduction of fees from salaries, overtime, no social protection, no health and safety
protection for workers, poor accommodation and social isolation. Moreover, workers from
third countries earn often less than native workers (European Federation of Building and
Woodworkers, 2019).
The EU funded TUWIC (Tackling undeclared work in the construction industry) project
involves construction trade unions, employer federations and enforcement authorities from
seven Member States to review policy initiatives in the sector. The project started in 2018
and ran until 2020 and included project activities in Belgium, France, Austria, Italy,
Romania, Bulgaria, Spain. Project activities are a European campaign on
prevention/awareness of undeclared work in the construction industry, national toolkits
and/or organising national tripartite meetings with representatives of the national labour
inspectorates, representatives of workers and businesses, possibly also including
politicians and experts can also participate, as well as the organisation of a final conference
(Williams et al, 2020b).
The hospitality sector – a sector under pressure for profit
As the other sectors presented in this Section, this sector also experiences high price
competition, less visible workplaces and seasonal changes of profit margins. Similar to
personal services, it can offer more job-security to some extent, as work is not project-
based (as for example in construction). 16 % of the workforce employed in tourism are
foreign citizens (of which 9 % are from other EU Member States and 7 % are from non-EU
countries). In the services sector as a whole, the proportion of foreign citizens employed
is 11 %, and in the total non-financial business economy it is 9 %. Foreign workers are 8
% of the workforce in air transport and 10 % in travel agencies or tour operators, but 18%
of the workforce in accommodation. In addition, 14 % of all employees in accommodation
and food services are in unregistered employment (compared with 5 % of employees in
the EU economy overall) (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2020c).
It is a sector with a high share of varying working hours, atypical employment relations
and high staff turnover (EFFAT, 2018; European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2020).
Tasks undertaken by third-country nationals in hotels are often cleaning services and
laundry, mostly performed by women. In hotels, there are reports of exploitative working
conditions with long hours and little breaks combined with a high workload, no safety
39
instructions and inappropriate accommodation. For example, Ukrainian workers holding
Polish visas working in Czech hotels reported pressured workloads with payments by the
speed of cleaning (Trčka et al., 2018).
In restaurants, literature points towards undeclared work arranged by social networks (see
Section 5.2). In restaurants and bars, undeclared work is often driven by high competition,
regulation and the need for flexible workforce. As observed in some restaurants, the
owners often belong to the same nationality and ethnic group, and transactions are cash-
based. Haircare and nail salons employ high numbers of third-country nationals, often from
Asian countries. For example, the Dutch inspectorate reported cases of Vietnamese women
working in nail bars under exploitive conditions.
Agriculture – migrant workers as an essential workforce
Agricultural work is place-specific, subject to seasonal change and experiences chronic
shortage of labour. Labour costs continue to dominate cost structures for companies in
agriculture, in particular in more labour-intensive segments, such as vegetable and fruit-
picking. It is estimated that around one-third of the total EU agricultural workforce are not
declared and it is likely that a high proportion comes from third countries (European
Platform tackling undeclared work, 2019a). EFFAT estimate that 40 % of agricultural
workers are EU citizens from other Member States or third-country migrants, out of which
it is assumed that one fifth are from third countries (European Platform tackling undeclared
work 2019a).
Increased industrialisation and the transition towards service sector jobs means that work
in the agricultural sector has become less desirable for EU/EEA nationals and is thus more
reliant on the supply of workers from third countries.
Cost-cutting through the employment of temporary seasonal workers from non-EU Member
States has become the norm in EU/EEA agriculture (European Platform tackling undeclared
work 2019a; Williams et al. 2018). The high share of non-nationals in agriculture is
associated with a significant risk of undeclared work and labour exploitation (OECD, 2012).
The working conditions in agriculture are particularly exploitative, as comparatively less
aspects of this sector could be automated, requiring physical labour, often over longer
working hours concentrated in specific seasons and with high injury rates (ILO, 2016).
Example: undeclared work and labour exploitation among third-country
nationals in the agriculture sector in Italy and Spain
Demand for cheap, flexible labour in agriculture has been particularly high in some
southern EU countries, such as Italy, Spain and Greece, where agriculture is a relevant
part of the economy. The rapid rise in the influx of refugees in these countries in 2015-
2016 led to their engagement in agriculture, most often involving young and mostly male
workers from sub-Saharan and North Africa in undeclared work and/or exploitative
conditions (Triandafyllidou et al., 2020).
In both Italy and Spain, there are examples of third-country nationals on a spectrum of
exploitative and dehumanising conditions, with instances of modern slavery and forced
labour, frequently intertwined with patterns of trafficking for labour exploitation (Gertel,
Jet al, 2014; European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
(FEMM), 2018). Cases of labour trafficking accounted for roughly 10-20 % of all
registered victims of trafficking, and institutions acknowledge the difficulties in
distinguishing trafficking cases from the widespread common violations of labour rights
(CSD, 2020). In Italy, undeclared workers in this sector frequently work for 10 to 12
hours a day, are exposed to toxic pesticides, and endure extreme summer and winter
weather conditions for pay that is considerably below the legal minimum wage. Third-
country nationals are also exposed to living in degrading and unsanitary conditions, in
isolated outbuildings on farms, in unheated tents or urban slums, many miles from the
fields where they work (Corrado, 2017).
40
Italy
The Italian agricultural sector has long been characterised by the systematic abuse of
the rights of workers and labour regulations, especially third-country nationals from the
EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood, Africa, southeast Asia and Latin America (Gertel et al.,
2014; Corrado et al., 2016; Nori, 2017).
Expert opinions suggest that Italy’s southern regions (such as Calabria, Sicily, Campania,
Apulia, and Basilicata) are the primary locations for undeclared and illegal work of third-
country nationals in the agriculture sector. The sector in southern Italy is labour-
intensive and seasonal by nature, as this is one of the key exporting regions for fruits
and vegetables to the rest of the EU (Corrado, 2017).
South Italian rural areas offer degrees of non-visibility and informality that enhance
irregularities. In agriculture, like the general economy, the labour market in southern
Italy is characterised by informality in contractual relationships. In regions such as
Calabria, the urban-rural income gap has further stimulated ‘brain drain’, as younger
workers move towards vibrant urban economies rather working in the agriculture sector.
These trends deplete the available local workforce for this sector, pressuring farmers to
seek third-country nationals as a substitute. The void is filled by many migrants from
Africa who often choose Italy as an entry country to the EU/EEA. This intensified between
2015 and 2017, when Italy was the second Member State in the EU for asylum
applications (123 000 and 129 000, respectively) (Eurostat, 2020). Compared to
previous years, Italy has experienced exponential growth in asylum applicants (over 12-
fold increase compared to 2010).
The scale of undeclared and illegal work carried out by third-country nationals in the
agricultural sector in Italy is difficult to establish. Estimates by Consiglio per la ricerca in
agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agrarian (CREA, 2020) suggest that a high share of
labour input in the sector is not regular: in 2017 the irregularity rate in agriculture was
18.4% (FTE equivalent), compared to 15.5% recorded in the economy as a whole. The
share of non-Italian workers in the Italian agriculture has continued to rise reaching close
to a fifth of the almost 900,000 employed in 2018 (CREA, 2020). CREA (2020) further
notes that immigrant workers are mostly employed in lower-skilled and low-paying
positions, with the consequent high incidence of relative poverty, which among those
born abroad is 38.2% against 18.5% of those born in Italy. The Annual Report of the
Italian National Labour Inspectorate for 2019 (Italian National Labour Inspectorate,
2020) noted that of the 5 806 inspections carried out in the Italian agriculture during
that year, around 59.3% found irregularities, more than 4 percentage points higher than
in 2018 (54.8%). Of the 5,340 workers who were subject of the uncovered violations, 2
719 (51%) were working undeclared or completely unregistered. Out of them 229 were
non-EU citizens without a residence permit.
The recruitment system of the ‘caporali’ (see Section 5.2) is to hire workers – usually
third-country nationals from North Africa – for a short period of time without declaring
their work. Eastern European workers are primarily recruited through landless co-
operatives or temporary work agencies registered in other EU Member States. In 2011
and again in 2016, Italy introduced legal measures against caporalato, with ‘illicit
brokerage and exploitation of work’ introduced into the Criminal Code (Law 138/2011).
The law foresees penalties from five to eight years’ imprisonment (12 in aggravating
circumstances) for the caporali and fines from EUR 1 000 to 2 000 for each worker
involved. Law 199/2016 on countering undeclared work and labour exploitation in
agriculture subsequently extended the scope of measures, particularly in instances of
labour exploitation. In addition, in February 2020, an Action Plan Against caporalato was
adopted, developing a national strategy to combat labour exploitation and gangmasters
in agriculture. However, the COVID-19 related lockdown measures then further
increased the harvesting done by irregularly staying third-country nationals, as the
labour inspectorate could not investigate and this group of workforce was used to offset
EU worker who did not travel to Italy (Palumbo, L., et al, 2020).
41
Spain
In Spain, cases of undeclared and illegal work by third-country nationals have been
detected in various regions, since agriculture is an important sector in nearly all regions
of the country. On many occasions third-country nationals change location depending on
season throughout the year. This indicates that third-country nationals working
undeclared often are not migrating in and out of the EU, but are, rather, transferred from
one employer to another and between different agricultural regions. Such arrangements
reduce the likelihood of detection within a single Member State.
Experts have indicated that the movement of third-country national workers within or
across agricultural actors of the EU is often organised through a network of
intermediaries. While in Italy third-country nationals are typically organised by
nationality (due to the specific recruitment pattern), inspections in Spain also detect
many EU nationals (mainly from Romania, Bulgaria and Portugal) in agricultural fields.
According to the annual report for 2019, the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate
carried out 9 739 inspection visits in the agriculture and farming sector. Almost 6 800
labour infringements were detected (with more than 460 third-country nationals without
a work authorisation). The infringements involved more than 28 700 workers and
sanctions for employers reached more than 21 million EUR.
Meat processing – a sector with many migrant workers
Particular sub-sectors of the food processing sector (e.g. meat processing) are also prone
to using undeclared workers in exploitative working conditions (Schöll-Mazurek et al.,
2016) and operating complex subcontracting chains, including also extensive use of
temporary work and placement agencies (Germany and the Netherlands for example). In
2013, the European Parliament reported on Bulgarian, Romanian and Ukrainian undeclared
workers in the German meat-processing sector. Those workers were subject to longer
working hours, for less than the legal minimum wage and without receiving social security
benefits (European Parliament, 2013). Recently, outbreaks of COVID-19 in German meat-
procession companies point to such exploitative working conditions with insufficient health
and safety enforcement and inappropriate housing, although the workers seem to be
mostly EU workers from South Eastern Europe (European Federation of Food, Agriculture
and Tourism Trade Unions (2020b).
Posted workers in the transport sector
Like other sectors described earlier, the international road transport sector is also affected
by workforce shortage and job insecurity.
Transport necessitates a mobile workforce, with shares of under- and undeclared work and
bogus self-employment higher than in other sectors, as well as fraudulent posting
arrangements (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2018a). An additional
difficulty is determining the country where the work is habitually carried out and thus the
tax and social security schemes that apply, but also to monitor to which Member States
transport workers should be considered posted, when they move across Europe, as this
may also have a significant impact on applicable legislation and collective agreements,
including on working conditions and pay. According to European case-law, the country of
employment is the country from which the work is organised and orders are received.
However, there are complex schemes under which third-country nationals are recruited
and then posted from countries where labour costs are usually lower.
In many cases, non-EU nationals have invested in coming to the country and do not know
their employment situation and rights well (FNV, 2018). For example, investigations by the
Swedish Tax Agency found that illegal schemes are often used by Swedish hauliers to avoid
taxation. In 2019, the Swedish Migration Agency noted several cases in the food delivery
business where the employer could not present the agency with the documents needed to
make residence permit decisions. It is not clear if the cases concern entirely false
employment contracts or real employment with hidden clauses (underdeclared work). The
42
people behind such applications usually have a position as long-term residents in other EU
countries. The Swedish Migration Agency also understands that many individuals who are
in Sweden on study permits work undeclared in the food delivery industry.
6 COOPERATION OF ACTORS TACKLING UNDECLARED WORK AND
LABOUR EXPLOITATION
This Section describes how undeclared work, illegal employment and labour exploitation is
tackled by enforcement authorities, such as labour inspectorates, the police, migration, tax
and social security organisations, highlighting the need for cooperation between
authorities, social partners and trade unions.
Key findings
Third-country nationals enter undeclared work under different circumstances. This
requires cooperation between all relevant enforcement authorities, such as labour
inspectorates, the police, migration, tax and social security organisations.
The development of well-defined joint cooperation procedures is necessary, as
illustrated by the Regional Agency Collaboration between several Swedish public
authorities developing methods for cross-agency data exchange, indicators and
inspections to combat fraud, violations and crime in working life.
However, joint working is often made difficult by limitations to data sharing and
cooperation between relevant authorities as well as capacity constraints in
enforcement. Relevant legislation and political will, capacity building and an increase
in resources for enforcement authorities can help developing collaboration
approaches.
Finally, working with social partners and NGOs is key to approach the complex issue
of undeclared work holistically, ensuring that the rights of workers are promoted and
guaranteed.
6.1 A central role of enforcement authorities in addressing undeclared work,
illegal employment and labour exploitation
As described above, a wide set of labour and migration policies are relevant in the fight
against undeclared work and labour exploitation of migrant workers. Legal frameworks
determine the definitions and institutional responsibilities for undeclared and illegal work,
as well as the labour rights and protection of workers. Several actors are therefore involved
in preventing, detecting and deterring these phenomena.
In most Member States, labour inspectorates identify undeclared work, illegal employment
and labour exploitation as they monitor risks and carry out workplace inspections to check
irregular employment and to impose possible sanctions on the employer. Labour
inspectorates are primarily responsible for checking compliance with labour law, such as
employment relations, working conditions, health and safety norms and/or wage
requirements. The social security and tax authorities monitor and follow non-payments in
their respective fields of competence.
Responsibilities across authorities are linked to the level of undeclared work in a labour
market. In Sweden, the labour inspectorate monitors working conditions and cooperates
with the Swedish Tax Agency, which focuses on undeclared employment, undeclared
income or tax avoidance. In other countries, promoting declared work is part of a wider
strategy to address irregularities in the labour market, and labour inspectorates have a
more prominent role in tackling undeclared work and illegal employment (ILO, 2010). In
Germany the German Financial Control of Undeclared Work Unit (Finanzkontrolle
Schwarzarbeit – FKS) under the Ministry of Finance enforces the Act to Combat Unlawful
Employment and Benefit Fraud. In the Netherlands, the labour inspectorate (SZW)
43
monitors the Foreign Nationals Employment Act, but also the Minimum Wage and Minimum
Holiday Allowance Act, the Working Hours Act, and the Placement of Personnel by
Intermediaries Act. For the Italian labour inspectorate, undeclared work and labour
exploitation are among the most important issues in annual planning.
In terms of illegal employment, most labour inspectors check whether a worker is
authorised to work.
27
During inspections, work and residence permits of third-country
nationals are checked in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia and
Spain (EMN, 2017; interviews with Platform members). In Austria and Germany, the labour
inspectorate and the German Länder/accident insurance institutions respectively
concentrate on compliance with working conditions, while illegal employment is monitored
by the Financial Police in Austria and by the German FKS under the Ministry of Finance.
Often, several authorities have the competence to check illegal employment: in France, it
is the labour inspectorate, the police and custom offices; in Finland, the Occupational
Health and Safety Authorities work together with the police, the border guard, the tax
authorities and customs; in Poland, labour inspectors who detect third-country nationals
with an irregular status need to inform the border guards (FRA, 2018).
However, scarce resources limit the authorities’ scope to fight undeclared work and illegal
employment, especially when it comes to complex fraud schemes used by employers to
gain profit. Several labour inspectorates reported capacity problems when dealing with
complex cases of undeclared work and third-country nationals. The labour inspectorate in
Poland noted the need to address increasing numbers of requests in the Internal Market
Information System in relation to posting irregularities from Belgium, Germany and France
(see also European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2019b). The French trade union
CGT noted that, despite good collaboration, the French inspectorate has resource issues.
The fact that labour inspectorates check work conditions and illegal employment at the
same time during an inspection hinders their mandate to guarantee workers’ rights, and
diverts resources from informing workers of their rights and referring them to support
services (FRA, 2018).
6.2 A strong need for cooperation between public authorities to address
undeclared work amongst third-country nationals
Instances of undeclared work, illegal work and labour exploitation fall under the
responsibility of different authorities, with infringements regulated under either labour or
criminal law. Cooperation between different authorities is therefore necessary to exchange
information (especially to assess and inform one another of risks concerning irregularly
staying migrants, on whom there is no data) and to detect and prosecute infringements.
28
Relevant authorities exchange information to identify irregularities, for example by cross-
checking tax, social security and employment data. In Belgium, Estonia and Slovakia, data
on taxes, social security and employment status is cross-checked in common databases
(EMN, 2017). In Finland, labour inspectors receive information on suspicious permit
applications from the Finnish Immigration Services, while the public employment service
(PES) redirects cases where applications are contradictory or otherwise suspicious. In
Sweden, the tax administration and the police and border control authorities send every
relevant inspection report to the labour inspectorate.
27
Labour inspection aims to protect ‘the rights and interest of all workers, and to improve working conditions,
rather than to enforce immigration law, and therefore any cooperation between the labour inspectorate and
immigration authorities should be carried out cautiously.’ (ILO, 2016). Hence separation between labour
authorities and immigration enforcement has also been strongly recommended by the UN Special Rapporteur
on Migrants, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and FRA (PICUM, 2020). See more on page 69.
28
Here, data sharing needs to comply with data protection regulations, hence the purpose, and type of data in
the exchange needs to be well-defined.
44
Cooperation between labour inspectorates and the police
Depending on the suspected violation, tax authorities, labour inspectors, the police and
migration authorities can organise joint inspections in cases of suspected undeclared work,
illegal employment or labour exploitation. According to research by the European Union
Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA, 2018), labour or social inspectorates and the police
most often seem to cooperate in inspections, an example of which is outlined below. Well-
defined cooperation with the police and labour inspectorates specialised on labour
exploitation can be effective in addressing labour exploitation and ensuring access to
justice (FRA, 2018).
In Germany the 2019 ‘Act to Combat Unlawful Employment and Benefit Fraud’ provides for
intensified cooperation and data-sharing between the German Financial Control of
Undeclared Work Unit (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit – FKS) and police authorities. Based
on the Code for Criminal Procedure (Strafprozessordnung) the FKS officials act as
investigators for the public prosecution service – so similar to police powers. Under the
above legislation, the FKS can proceed with criminal proceedings independently in cases
involving the withholding and misappropriation of wages. Next to cooperation with the
police the act also foresees the collaboration with support services regarding human
trafficking and labour. An example of inter-agency cooperation is outlined below.
Example: Joint inspection in the construction industry in Germany
In August 2019, the German Customs Authority led a major investigation into suspected
social security contributions fraud, minimum wage violations, labour exploitation and
trafficking of human beings in the construction industry. Around 1 900 members of all
41 main customs offices visited several sites, supported by the Criminal Investigation
Office, the Migration Department and the Federal Police. Staff from the Berlin Migration
and Good Work Counselling Centre provided advice on labour and residence law to
affected employees, as well as providing accommodation and meals.
In the course of a single day, the authorities inspected construction sites, office and
business premises, apartments and collective accommodation for employees at over 80
locations. In the process, evidence was secured and 186 interviews were conducted. The
amount of damage caused by the various offences identified was estimated at EUR 1.7
million. This operation is being followed by extensive checks of the seized documents by
the German unit for monitoring undeclared work.
Source: https://www.zoll.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/
Schwarzarbeitsbekaempfung/2019/y53_grosseinsatz_b.html
As in the German example above, cooperation and data sharing are set out in legislation
in other countries. For example, in the Netherlands, data sharing is regulated by
legislation: the labour inspectorate and the police share data based on the ‘Police Data
Act’, as well as on articles in specific legislation, such as the ‘Foreign National Employment
Act’. The Dutch Inspectorate also cooperates with a EUROPOL liaison officer, who
concentrates on increasing awareness of the Inspectorate among national and international
investigative services.
In Spain the ‘Law on the System of Labour and Social Security Inspection’ from 2015
foresees that police forces provide assistance and collaboration to the Labour and Social
Security Inspectorate. The inspectorate is responsible for checking work authorisations,
social security registration, salaries and contract conditions, Occupational Safety and
Health regulations and equality between women and men, in the performance of its
functions. Cooperation is further specified by agreements between the Labour and Social
Security Inspectorate and police forces that foresee joint investigations in the field of
undeclared work, third country nationals’ work, labour exploitation and trafficking in human
beings for labour purposes, among other aims. The labour inspectorate and the police
routinely perform inspections together (almost 20 000 joint visits were organised in 2019).
45
As in the labour inspectorates, there are also examples of a focus on labour exploitation in
the police authorities. Police in Italy (the carabinieri) and the national labour inspectorate
act jointly to address the exploitation of EU and third-country nationals. In Belgium,
inspectors can request assistance from federal and local police units specialised in fraud
detection, trafficking in human beings and illegal work of foreigners. In addition, specialised
police units have been tasked with investigating risks of labour exploitation. They conduct
monthly inspections of high-risk sectors, which are led by an auditor or public prosecutor,
with the support of other organisations (such as labour and social inspectorates, and victim
support organisations) (FRA, 2018).
Interagency- work approaches
A multi-agency approach allows multiple authorities work on a single case. The need for
more effective cooperation that builds on the tools of each enforcement authority was
similarly stressed in the literature (OECD, 2018, ILO, 2010), as well as cooperation
between police and labour inspectorates to fight labour exploitation (FRA, 2019). A
promising practice is Sweden’s Regional Agency Collaboration (RAC), which received a
government mandate to develop concrete cooperation methods for information sharing
and joint inspections.
Example: Regional Agency Collaboration (RAC) in Sweden
The RAC in Sweden combines the efforts of eight agencies to tackle irregularities at the
workplace, with particular attention to third-country nationals. The authorities involved
are: the police operative units of the Economic Crime Authority, the Work Environment
Authority, the Gender Equality Agency, the Migration Agency, the Tax Agency, the public
employment service and the Social Insurance Agency.
The Swedish Migration Agency, which issues residence permits and work authorisation,
checks certain permit applications in high-risk areas and newly established businesses
in labour-intensive sectors and shares intelligence with the other authorities so that they
can plan inspections. Joint inspections are carried out by the Swedish Work Environment
Authority, the Swedish Tax Agency and the police. The Swedish Gender Equality Agency
acts as a coordinator for the social workers who can be contacted in case of suspected
cases of labour exploitation.
Several joint inspections took place in 2019 in beauty salons, construction sites and
restaurants. The agencies participated in Europol-led inspections of nail bars, discovering
one case of human exploitation, breaches of working conditions and under-reporting of
tax. Targeted cross-agency inspections were also carried out in 75 construction sites,
uncovering undeclared income, fraudulent posting and illegal employment of foreign
construction workers. Inspections of over 200 restaurants found 21 undocumented
workers, often with salaries far below the statutory wage.
The RAC established a joint reporting system in 2019, listing all measures from the
respective agencies, showing more than 2 000 inspected companies, control and
sanction fees totalling SEK 10 000 000 (EUR 944 367) and 250 immediate business
freezes (until irregularities are corrected).
In addition, the agencies shared information on suspected cases over 100 times,
increasing targeted inspections of industries and workplaces. However, personal data
protection rules presented barriers in some cases.
For further information please refer to Annex 5
Another recent example is the Dutch interdepartmental ‘boosting’ teams established in
2020, involving seven Ministries working together with stakeholders, including social
partners, at the local and sectoral level. This is focused upon the working conditions of
migrant and EU workers, an important topic on the political agenda in the Dutch parliament
during the COVID-19 crisis. The concerns related to migrant workers have resulted in
interviews by inspectors at the residences of migrant workers, collaboration with other
46
authorities to collate information and resultant visits to companies where problems are
expected, including distribution centres, construction industry firms, slaughterhouses and
meat processing industries where many migrant workers are employed.
At the same time, challenges were raised by inspectorates in Finland and Spain during
interviews for this report, who outlined that stronger cooperation was needed, ideally at
the start of a specific case in order to save time and resources. The Norwegian joint work-
crime centre model was noted as an example of a well-working common approach , where
the tax administration, the police and labour authorities work together to decide on a
specific procedure on a case-by-case basis.
The lack of a common understanding of what constitutes labour exploitation was
highlighted in some countries as an obstacle. Where it coincides with illegal employment,
labour exploitation is often not clearly defined. Slovakia, for example, has no legal
definition of forced labour, labour exploitation, or particularly exploitative conditions. There
is only a distinction between ‘lawful’ and ‘unlawful’ activities, which does not cover
exploitation in regular work (Chudžíková et al., 2018). A number of countries are now
paying greater attention to labour exploitation, such as Germany or the Netherlands (see
Section 7.2.2).
6.3 Social partners and NGOs provide crucial links to migrants
Cooperation between public authorities, social partners and NGOs helps to address the
different situations of third-country nationals in undeclared work in a more holistic way.
While enforcement authorities monitor, detect and sanction infringements, NGOs and trade
unions raise public awareness, are familiar with the situations of third-country nationals
and workplaces, and inform workers of their rights and obligations. In addition to
prevention and detection, trade unions and NGOs support third-country national victims of
labour exploitation in pressing charges against their employer.
NGOs build trust with non-EU workers, complaints about undeclared work and labour
exploitation are often channelled via these bodies to labour inspectorates. This is most
effective when an exploited worker can trust that he or she will not face detention and has
a good chance of getting compensation for unpaid wages. For instance, the Belgian Labour
Inspectorate of the Federal Public Service Employment, Labour, and Social Dialogue
receives complaints by third-country nationals from the NGO the FAIRWORK Belgium and
the Federal Centre for Migration (Myria), particularly on the non-payment of wages to
irregularly staying third-country nationals. In Belgium, if an undocumented worker files a
complaint to the labour inspection, the labour inspection does not share personal data with
immigration authorities for enforcement purposes. This policy does not apply if the worker
is identified during an inspection. Nonetheless, there is an informal agreement between
the labour inspection service for Control of Social Laws, the migration office, Myria and
FAIRWORK Belgium that if a worker files a complaint with the assistance of Myria or
FAIRWORK Belgium, and as a result of this complaint, there is an inspection on the work
floor, the worker will receive an order to leave the territory, but will not be placed in
detention (PICUM, 2020).
Trade unions have direct contact with workers, enabling them to identify undeclared work,
hazardous working conditions and labour exploitation and flag this with enforcement
authorities. The ETUC note that trade unions can identify victims of human trafficking and
create trust, but enforcement authorities should increase awareness of these issues among
trade unions, as it is outside their traditional field of expertise. Platform members point
out that this collaboration helps to gain further insight into cases of labour exploitation.
Strategic partnerships
Strategic partnerships between enforcement authorities and social partners are key to
increasing the outreach of measures and promoting rights of third-country nationals. This
organisation in turn supports non-EU workers to know and claim their rights as workers.
Belgium, France and Germany have cooperation agreements between social partners,
labour inspection services and other public authorities in high-risk sectors. Another
47
example is cooperation between the Latvian Free Trade Union Confederation (LBAS) and
the labour inspectorate to exchange information, prevent and investigate violations of
labour rights, including violations of migrant workers’ labour rights (ILO, 2018). The French
trade union, CGT reports on good working relations with the labour inspectorate, although
resource issues persist in the inspectorate. CGT also stated that cooperation with the police
is more challenging because they tend to focus on the migration status of the worker.
In Italy, the new Commission to tackle the ‘caporalato’ system and labour exploitation in
agriculture has been chaired since 2019 by the Minister of Labour, in cooperation with
other Ministries (Interior, Justice, Agriculture and Transport), regions, municipalities, the
national labour inspectorate and the National Institute of Social Security. This includes joint
actions against labour exploitation, working side-by-side with NGOs and social partners.
Trade unions provide insights from workplaces, while employer associations provide
information on the complex supply chain in agriculture. The aim of this cooperation is to
set up management and information systems, strengthening the implementation and
monitoring capacity of national and local institutions. It then seeks to set up a national
referral system for the identification, assistance, protection and socioeconomic inclusion of
victims through decent work opportunities, as well as transparent recruitment in
agriculture.
Efforts to step up union representation amongst third-country nationals
Third-country nationals are often unaware of their rights or the potential support offered
by trade unions (Keryk, 2018). Their work in sectors, such as construction, transport,
agriculture or domestic work, has no strong union presence. Moreover, their fears about
losing their residence and work status, possible cultural and language barriers, and time
constraints because of high workloads and low pay often makes it hard for migrant workers
to self-organise. Irregular workers have explained that opportunities to regularise their
residence status, assistance with job search and claiming back payments, access to
criminal justice, and easily accessible information on workers’ rights and social services
would help to address their situation. (FRA, 2019) Accordingly, efforts have been made to
increase the representation of migrant workers from third countries.
In Belgium, the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CSC) supports and advises
migrant workers, raises awareness of rights and informs migrants how to record evidence
of exploitation and mistreatment by employers. The Italian General Confederation of
Labour (CGIL) is organising peer support for seasonal agriculture workers, often from
African or Eastern European countries.
29
Domestic work is particularly underrepresented, as it takes place in a private setting. In
the Netherlands, third-country nationals engaged in domestic work are organised in the
‘United Migrant Domestic Workers’ group of the FNV (EMN, 2017). The importance of
outreach via personal networks, the community and social media, as well as trust-building,
advice and personal counselling, were highlighted in Sweden, Switzerland and Spain’s
initiatives to gain third-country nationals as union members.
An example of a newly created trade union in Poland facilitating higher joining rates of
workers from third countries illustrates how union representation reduces the scale of
illegal employment of Ukrainian citizens in Poland.
Example: Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers, Poland
The Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers combats undeclared work and labour exploitation
of Ukrainian workers on the Polish labour market through advocacy activity, awareness-
raising and legal support.
In early 2019, the Trade Union for Ukrainian Workers reported over 1 000 members
(MPUPP, n.d.). It is involved in advocacy work and consults the government on important
issues for migrant workers. Due to lack of funding, the legal support is provided on a
29
See for more information here: https://www.fondazionemetes.it/raise-up and Section 8
48
small scale and only in the Warsaw district. Nevertheless, such support is provided to all
migrant workers, regardless of their union membership.
The number of complaints by foreign workers to the NLI tripled between 2016-2017,
reaching 1 473 in 2017 (PLI, 2018). Between 2016 and 2018, the number of Ukrainian
workers reported to national insurance doubled, to 425 670 (ZUS, 2019). Union and NLI
activities contributed to increased awareness of their rights among Ukrainian workers.
In 2019, the Commissioner for Human Rights nominated Jurij Kariagin (Chair of the
Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers) for the award of NLI. The award is granted for
outstanding achievements in the field of supervision and control of compliance with
labour law and prevention of occupational hazards. In their nomination, the
Commissioner for Human Rights argued that Jurij Kariagin’s activity significantly reduced
the scale of violations of law with respect to the legality of employment of Ukrainian
citizens in Poland.
The success of the Trade Union for Ukrainian Workers is its autonomy from OPZZ and
independence in developing its programme. This empowers migrant workers and allows
them to focus on issues pertinent to them.
With limited financial resources, the union builds on cooperation with NGOs and the
media to provide support in the most extreme cases of exploitation and expose
companies that offer poor working conditions for migrant workers.
For further information please refer to Annex 5
7 COMMON MEASURES BY ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES, NGOS AND
SOCIAL PARTNERS TO ADDRESS UNDECLARED WORK AND LABOUR
EXPLOITATION
This Section discusses concrete measures taken by enforcement authorities, such as labour
inspectorates, tax and social security authorities, as well as social partners, to address
undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-country nationals. The measures
presented here were referenced in the reviewed literature and/or mentioned by Platform
members.
Key findings
Some measures by enforcement authorities are specifically targeted at third-country
nationals. Within these authorities, such measures are driven by a specialisation of
staff members in dedicated units, programmes or teams working with migrants, for
example the Finnish Foreign Workers Unit or the Dutch programme on labour
exploitation.
Preventative measures promote information about rights and obligations to non-EU
nationals, especially those with low skills or/and language barriers. Research points
out that multi-lingual advice should be offered. Here, an innovative example is the
‘cultural mediators’ in Italy and the Netherlands who can help to overcome cultural
barriers, specifically in closed community networks described in Section 5. For
employers, preventative approaches include support to register non-EU national
workers, certifications and websites facilitating job matching, as well as a focus on
chain liability. Finally, awareness raising specifically targeted at third-country
nationals can increase trust in institutions and declared work.
Although inspections are the main measure to tackle undeclared work of third-country
nationals, they are often not as frequent and effective as authorities would like these
to be, which in turn increases impunity of employers. Promising practices to improve
inspections include: effective cooperation between several enforcement authorities;
measures to address capacity issues in labour inspectorates; specialised teams;
49
effective complaints mechanisms; and providing support and advice during and after
inspections.
Compared to undeclared and illegal employment, labour exploitation is harder to
detect. Training inspectors or specialised teams, indicators in risk assessments and
communication to build up trust during inspections are ways to identify cases.
However, the intervention in more moderate cases of labour exploitation remains
limited.
Sanctions for employers depend on the scale and nature of the sanction and the
likelihood of such sanctions being enforced, while migrants are afraid to report
exploitative employers because they fear the consequences of being found in illegal
employment, including losing their income and their residence permit.
Illegal employment or undeclared work and labour exploitation frequently go hand in hand,
and enforcement authorities responsible for monitoring labour law are often first to identify
irregularities on the ground. Undeclared work may be ‘easier’ to detect during inspections,
as a lack of documentation, such as employment contracts and salary slips, is an important
indicator. Labour exploitation however is more difficult to recognise, because it may not
be instantly visible especially to the untrained eye. Moreover, less severe cases (those that
do not fall under criminal law) are more difficult to prove. According to observations by
ETUC, whilst labour inspectors or the police check work authorisations, they do not always
engage with the worker on their working conditions. However, in cases of labour
exploitation, taking the time to build up trust is important to inform the workers about
their rights and to identify exploitive working conditions.
Enforcement authorities have, to some extent, adapted their approaches to identify and
address undeclared work of third-country nationals, and possible cases of labour
exploitation.
In Sweden, for example, the government introduced criminal liability for crimes less severe
than human trafficking, such as exploitation in the workplace. This allows to sanction labour
exploitation without having to refer to the more difficult-to-prove crime of human
trafficking. In the Netherlands, the ‘Programme for investigating labour exploitation’ in the
Dutch inspectorate (see Section 7.2.2), takes over identified cases of labour exploitation.
The ‘Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit fraud’ provides new responsibilities
and increased resources to the German FKS. The legislative change enables the authority
to intervene earlier to prevent labour exploitation and illegal employment, to prosecute
cases and exchange data with other authorities.
Undeclared work and labour exploitation require training of labour inspectors addressing
language barriers, discrimination and cultural context, cooperation and enforcement of
legislation, such as chain liability (ILO, 2017; FRA, 2018). Research on labour exploitation
notes the need for specialist training (FRA, 2018), especially in order to identify severe
cases, such as human trafficking. This is done in most labour inspectorates, for example
in Poland, where inspectors receive a two-day training course on identification of human
trafficking, run in cooperation with an NGO. The training covers also the existing legal
framework and the role of various authorities: the Police, the Border Guard, the National
Labour Inspectorate in combating and preventing this crime, but also the role of various
NGOs (e.g. La Strada Poland) in providing guidance and assistance to the victims.
As with EU citizens, labour inspectorates can address fraudulent posting by increasing their
capacity for cross-border cooperation. In Belgium – a receiving country of high numbers
of posted workers – the inspectorate created specialised ‘Network teams’ in 2006 to
improve the detection and tackling of violations on posting conditions, via training, data-
mining, guidance material, advice and increased outreach to European partners. The
Finnish Occupational Safety and Health Units have specialised inspectors, with a focus on
EU/EEA citizens, as well as third-country nationals (EMN, 2017; ILO, 2018).
50
Example: Inspection unit for foreign labour (including EU and third-country
nationals), Finland
The foreign labour inspection unit within the Regional State Administrative Agency for
Southern Finland/Division of Occupational Health and Safety aims to prevent undeclared
work and labour exploitation of foreign labour, including third-country nationals. The
main tool are inspections, which have uncovered issues predominantly in three sectors:
construction, restaurant and cleaning. Specifically, within the group of third-country
nationals, since 2017 the unit has encountered more asylum seekers engaging in
undeclared work.
Cooperation between the authorities allows information to be shared. There are
established joint inspections with the tax authorities and the pension centre at
construction sites, and results identify further inspection areas. In 2019, the unit
conducted over 840 inspections in southern Finland, more than 440 of which related to
undeclared work. Official statistics are available mainly for 2018 and show that over 1
000 inspections were carried out: 38 % in the hospitality sector; 21 % in construction;
11 % in cleaning; and the remaining 30 % in a variety of sectors.
If underpayments are discovered, the issued guidance is not legally binding. Without
legal measures, there is little incentive for companies to comply. One way is to put more
public pressure by making inspection reports available online – this is currently under
discussion.
For further information please refer to Annex 5
7.1 Preventative measures targeted at third-country nationals and their employers
Traditionally, there has been a stronger focus on deterrence methods than on preventative
approaches, and evidence on prevention efforts is scarce (Williams, 2018; Eurofound,
2010). This is also reflected in measures concerning the employment situation of third-
country nationals: inspections are typically used to detect irregularities in the work of non-
EU nationals, often focusing on high-risk sectors, in cooperation with other authorities.
Although preventative approaches are used to a lesser extent than inspections, a balanced
approach between prevention and deterrence is needed to tackle potential employment
irregularities among third-country nationals (OECD, 2018; ILO, 2009). There is increasing
awareness, however, that preventative approaches are also important, as it is often unclear
if third-country nationals are unaware of regulations or simply forced not to comply.
Currently, several Member States have put in place measures to create incentives and
raise awareness of the benefits of declared work, targeted at migrant workers and their
employers, which can be broken down into three categories:
Supply-side incentives, to make it easier and more beneficial for migrant workers and
their employers to engage in declared work before undeclared work occurs;
Demand-side incentives, which reward purchasers for buying declared goods and
services; and
Awareness-raising campaigns.
Each of these are discussed in more detail below.
Information support for foreign workers to address multiple barriers
Language, economic or cultural barriers and complex regulations can lead to non-
compliance by third-country nationals and their employers. Non-EU nationals are often not
aware of their rights and obligations, nor of the avenues to report infringements (European
Commission, 2019; FRA, 2019). For those migrant workers and employers who
unintentionally do not comply with legislation, information and support, such as advice
services, simplification procedures and training can all support a shift to formal work.
51
In most countries, supply-side measures targeting employees exist to help foreign workers
to understand their rights and obligations. These can consist of websites (such as the Work
in Finland website, providing information on regulations), multilingual information material,
communication via social media and/or counselling services. For example, in Germany,
‘Arbeit und Leben’ is a free, confidential, multilingual counselling service on labour law and
employment relations for workers from other EU and third countries. It was set up in 2010
by local authorities and labour inspectorates (European Platform tackling undeclared work,
2017c).
Some measures are sector-specific; for example, a phone hotline in the Danish fishing
industry or for the Finnish agriculture sector, where third-country nationals can check the
conditions of the job and the company. Advice services often distribute information tools
that support third-country nationals to comply with regulations, while also increasing their
awareness of possible exploitation. Examples are multilingual working time calendars to
track their working time, tax calculators or information sheets. Another simple outreach
measure is the app ‘Agriworker’ by the German Industrial Union for Building, Agriculture
and Environment (Industriegewerkschaft Bauen-AgrarUmwelt, IG BAU), informing workers
about their rights.
infoFinland website
Source: Screenshot from infoFinland - Work in Finland. https://www.welcomeguide.fi/
An innovative outreach practice is the use of ‘cultural mediators’ in Italy and the
Netherlands, which make use of people with a similar cultural background to inform and
advise third-country nationals about their rights. This addresses linguistic barriers and
cultural obstacles (e.g. many workers are illiterate and come from countries where
relationships with institutions are far from positive). In the Netherlands, this is funded by
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and run by the FairWork Foundation (EMN,
2017).
Information on obligations for employers
For employers, measures have focused on clarifying and facilitating procedures and raising
general awareness about employing third-country nationals. In accordance with the
Employers Sanctions Directive, employers need to verify the validity of residence permits
or other authorisations of stay of third-country nationals, keep at least for the duration of
the employment a copy or record of such document(s) for possible inspection by competent
52
authorities of Member States, and notify authorities about their employment. Under Article
4 (2) the Directive states the Member States may provide for a simplified procedure for
notification where the employers are natural persons and the employment is for their
private purposes.
This encourages compliance and makes it more difficult for them to deny any wrongdoing.
In Bulgaria, third-country nationals need to be registered with the employment agency in
case of early termination of employment and changes in the employment relation need to
be reported. In Sweden, employers need to notify the Swedish Tax Authority in order to
employ third-country nationals (EMN, 2017). Migration authorities or employment services
provide guidelines on the types of residence and work permits and the obligations to
register third-country nationals or to notify employment changes. In Germany, employers
are informed about the consequences of hiring third-country nationals illegally and
partnerships between the tax authorities and social partners exist to communicate issues
on a sectoral basis (OECD, 2018; EMN, 2017). Some countries have online verification
systems where employers can check residence permit and work authorisation online, for
example in the voluntary self-assessment tool for employers in the Netherlands.
Incentives for employers to recruit for fair and declared work
The recruitment of migrant workers is regulated in specific sectors to ensure formal
employment of migrant workers and to prevent undeclared work and labour exploitation.
For example, cooperation between the Migration Board and the Kommunal trade union in
the Swedish berry-picking sector focuses on fair pay and working conditions. Kommunal
checks that the employer meets working and salary conditions before the Swedish
Migration board grants residence and work permits to third-country nationals. Kommunal
is also responsible for labour inspections, including working conditions, pay and safety
regulations.
In Italy, the ‘control room’ (Cabina di regia) of the ‘Agricultural Decent Work Network’
(Rete Agricola di Qualità in Foggia), run by the labour inspectorate, the National Institute
of Social Security and social partners, focuses on transparent hiring of workers, as well as
arranging decent transport and accommodation via a database. This includes a list of
companies registered with the National Institute of Social Security who comply with labour,
social security, income and value added tax (VAT) legislation. The network also monitors
undertakings not included on the list and provides a guide for customers (how to choose
their supplier) (Williams et al, 2018). In Hungary, seasonal workers can be registered via
a mobile app. In turn, this data also provides better insight to plan inspections and to
detect infringements (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2019).
A similar initiative is a social label initiative in Belgium. The mushroom growing sector in
Belgium was experiencing difficulties due to low prices. Together with social partners, a
plan for the sector’s future was put in place. Employers sign up (i.e., they must sign a
declaration each year) to respect Belgium’s social legislation and not to resort to systems
involving posting abuses and bogus self-employment. They also agree to keep the number
of permanent workers at 2011 levels. In return, they can hire seasonal workers for up to
100 days per seasonal worker per year instead of the usual 65 days. The social partners
have been responsible for drawing up the list of companies eligible to make use of this
expanded regime. The Minister for Social Affairs approves the list of ‘social label’
companies. The social label system has also increased the number of companies in the
mushroom growing sector.
Joint and several liability to address complex supply chains
Some countries use chain liability, requirements of transparency along the chain, due
diligence obligations, or a maximum length of the chain as another employer-focused
measure, especially in sectors with high employment of third-country workers.
Enforcement authorities face challenges in monitoring complex subcontracting chains,
particular in sectors with a high number of irregularly staying non-EU workers. Many
countries have increased joint liability in subcontracting. For instance, Czechia and the
Netherlands increased severe sanctions in supply chains (EMN, 2017), while global
53
companies in France are legally required to monitor and choose subcontractors carefully
(European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017c). The Swedish ‘Nacka project’ (see
box below) from 2015 targets labour exploitation by checking companies for public
contracts.
Example: Nacka Project, Sweden
The Nacka project aims to prevent tax evasion and labour exploitation in public contracts
for construction companies. A thorough check of possible criminal connections ensures
that tax evasion or labour exploitation of third-country nationals are prevented. All
contractors must meet several background checks:
Registered with the company register, tax register, social security and no debts,
checked by municipal services;
No criminal record with the police;
Workers must have a valid authorisation card on the construction site, and all
contractors must keep daily records of persons working at the site; and
Tax records must be sent to tax authorities for every employee by the contractor
and sub-contractor. This way, tax authorities can check whether a person who is
registered as an employee working at a specific construction site actually works
there.
The project facilitated better cooperation between government partners and private
parties, and the project can be transferred to other sectors.
Source: https://www.teamwork-against-trafficking-for-labour-
exploitation.nl/examples/screening-subcontractors-sweden
Demand-driven measures to increase declared work of third-country nationals
Demand-driven measures aim to incentivise customers to buy declared services rather
than undeclared services. A prominent example is the voucher system for domestic or
household services that formalises employment relations by prompting households to
register domestic workers and pay social security contributions via simple registrations and
tax rebates that make undeclared work more expensive for the purchaser. Such vouchers
exist in Austria, Belgium, France and Sweden. The long-standing Belgian scheme has been
successful in reducing undeclared work in the sector (see Platform tackling Undeclared
Work Plenary meeting, 2018; Williams, 2018). In the private household setting, where
inspections are difficult, vouchers are good practice to formalise services and establish a
direct employment relationship between a private individual and a household.
Vouchers are only available for migrants with work and residence permits (one exception
is the Swiss Canton of Geneva, where third-country nationals without residence and work
permit can be employed with service vouchers and thus pay social security). While it is
understandable (and legitimate) that only workers with a permit are allowed to benefit
from the schemes, few countries have legal migration schemes for domestic work, meaning
that vouchers can only be used by regular migrants and not by the (potentially high number
of) irregularly staying third-country nationals.
Regularly staying migrants also face certain limitations, such as a lack of awareness of the
schemes among migrant domestic workers (European Federation of Food, Agriculture and
Tourism Trade Unions, 2015) or restrictions in the design of the schemes. For instance,
the Austrian voucher scheme does not allow workers to exceed monthly earnings of
EUR 500, which makes the scheme more attractive to native workers providing such
services as a top-up activity, but not for migrants who wish to engage in this work full-
time. In addition, regularly staying third-country nationals also stress the limited
professionalisation of their jobs, an aim intended to be addressed by the voucher system
(Pérez et al., 2016).
54
Awareness-raising campaigns to increase knowledge about decent work
Undeclared work is not undertaken solely for economic benefit, and awareness-raising
activities seek to promote the benefits of declared work by changing behaviours and norms
(Williams, 2018). Workers and employers may engage in undeclared work because they
have little trust in public authorities, or limited awareness of what taxes and social security
contributions offer. For third-country nationals, this may be linked to low public trust and
acceptance of taxes or social security contributions in their countries of origin.
30
Another
coinciding issue is that of stereotypes or discrimination towards migrants among
employers, the public and institutions, for example that migrants work predominantly in
jobs that are ‘dangerous, dirty and demeaning’.
Awareness-raising campaigns and education about undeclared work and labour
exploitation of migrants can address the wider causes of the issue and make employers,
workers and the public more aware of the benefit of formalising work for workers from
third countries. Most countries have campaigns to raise awareness of the risks and costs
of undeclared work in order to change the behaviour of employers or targeting employees
(Williams, 2018). Campaigns often include different types of information tools, mostly
leaflets or websites, and are often run cooperation with NGOs and social partners. In
Belgium and France, press releases inform the public about undeclared work and illegal
employment by migrants (EMN, 2017). In Belgium, they are released by the labour
inspectorate and inform the public about recent cases of illegal employment of third-
country nationals. In France, the Prefects communicate via local press on social fraud and
illegal employment cases. A recent example is a personal statement by a politician in Italy:
In light of the ‘relaunch bill’ launch (see also Section 9.3), the Italian Minister of Agriculture
described her own experience as an agricultural worker when she was young. This
increased awareness of the conditions in the agricultural sector and counteracted the
negative public discourse over migration in Italy.
Information efforts are limited in their reach and do not always explicitly target the
employment of third-country nationals (OECD, 2018; EMN, 2017). There are a few
examples of targeted information efforts, such as the 2009 campaign to prevent the
economic exploitation of Brazilian migrants in Belgium (EMN, 2017). In Czechia, trade
unions organised an awareness campaign ‘The end of cheap labour’ in 2015 (Trčka et al.,
2018).
There is potential for cross-border cooperation to target people within their country of
origin. In Italy, for example, the ‘Back in the Field’ awareness-raising campaign by the
Federation of Farming Industry Workers General Italian Labour Confederation (FLAI CGIL)
aims to meet workers at their workplace to inform them of their rights. The campaign is
particularly directed against the ‘caporalato’ recruitment system in agriculture. In 2019,
the joint European project ‘RAISE UP’ continued the campaign in Italy, involving other
trade unions, employer organisations and institutions from Bulgaria, North Macedonia,
Romania and Serbia in order to develop responsive measures in the countries of origin.
Another approach is to target workers from third countries in campaigns targeting the
whole population. From 2017 to 2019, the Polish inspectorate carried out a three-year
campaign ‘I work legally’, which aimed to raise awareness of legal and formal employment
among employers and workers, including foreigners and Ukrainian nationals in particular.
This was implemented together with the social partners. The campaign included radio
features, press releases, adverts in public transport and online content.
Materials on the benefits of legal work and risks resulting from illegal employment were
published in Polish, Ukrainian and English. In addition, personal ‘story-telling’ videos were
produced, with two Ukrainian women telling the story of their employment in Poland. The
30
As pointed out in Section 5.3, a lack of trust in institutions or beliefs that are not in line with the existing
regulations can also exist in Member States.
55
videos were created in two language versions – with Polish and Ukrainian subtitles and
shown in public transport in the 20 biggest cities in Poland.
Infographic in Ukrainian from the Polish ‘I work legally’ campaign
Source: Infographic in Ukrainian from the ‘I work legally’ campaign provided by National Labour
Inspectorate.
7.2 Main measures of enforcement authorities to deter undeclared work by
migrants
Labour inspectorates are primarily responsible for detecting illegal and undeclared work.
They plan and carry out inspections that are based on risk assessments. Complex
irregularities caused by undeclared work, illegal employment and labour exploitation can
be better identified through targeted reporting tools and specific indicators on labour
exploitation.
Despite being the main instrument of enforcement authorities to address illegal and
undeclared work of non-EU nationals, the number of inspections is often insufficient (FRA,
2018). Practices that have helped to improve detection include coordinated inspections
with other enforcement authorities, improving the capacity of inspectorates to identify
labour exploitation, and developing complaints mechanisms and other reporting tools for
migrants.
Finally, while sanctions for employers are important to curb illegal employment and
undeclared work, much depends on the enforcement and severity of a sanction. On the
contrary, sanctions for irregularly staying third-country nationals can prevent them from
reporting.
Detecting irregularities whilst protecting workers
Enforcement authorities use the results of risk assessments to plan inspections in high-risk
sectors: construction or manufacturing with highly complex supply chains, sectors with
changing workforces and settings, such as transport, agriculture and private security.
31
The risks of illegal employment and potential labour exploitation are generally assessed by
31
The Communication on the Employers Sanctions Directive also outlines that inspections should be informed by
statistical techniques to identify risk sectors and develop strategies to address them.
56
combining results from previous inspections, complaints or whistleblowing, the number of
permits in a sector, or data from social security or tax.
However, third-country nationals often do not report non-compliance with labour law or
criminal law. They may be afraid of the potential negative outcomes for themselves, such
as losing the right to residency or their income, risking deportation, etc., and be reluctant
to press charges against their employer, especially when they are dependent on them
and/or have the same private/social network. As a consequence, research by the European
Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA, 2019) points out that fewer than half of the
interviewed exploited workers report labour exploitation to the police. Amongst those who
reported to the police, those who reported a positive experience had often support by trade
unions or lawyers, while those without support stated that they did not feel take seriously
or perceived as the perpetrator instead of the victim (FRA, 2019).
In addition, despite the recent introduction of EU-wide standards to protect
whistleblowers,
32
reporting procedures depend on national implementation. So far, there
have been varying definitions of whistleblowing across Member States, and barriers to
effective reporting are the stigmatisation of whistleblowers and/or a lack of evidence about
the effects of whisteblower protection (European Commission, 2019).
Enforcement authorities need to be aware of this reluctance if they are to successfully
detect undeclared work and exploitive employers. Platform for International Cooperation
on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) guidelines for developing complaints mechanisms for
undocumented migrant workers, for example, highlight that labour and social inspection
authorities’ complaints mechanisms should not involve police or migration authorities, who
would act on irregularities regarding a workers residence or work authorisation. In Belgium,
the Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue (FPS) has created a
national contact point to lodge complaints against their employers. The labour inspectorate
guarantees anonymity and confidentiality of the complaint and works with NGOs to detect
cases and subsequently undertake inspections.
Example: Point of contact for fair competition, Belgium
The Social Information and Investigation Service of the Federal Public Service
Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue (FPS) has created a national contact point for
complaints about unfair competition, social dumping, labour conditions, undeclared work
and benefit fraud. Anonymity and confidentiality of the complaint are guaranteed and
may lead to inspections. When a complaint is issued, the contact point first assures the
individual that full anonymity is guaranteed (Article 59 of the Social Penal Code), even
in court, and that they are not authorised to inform an employer or their representative
that an investigation has been triggered. However, in some cases, action can only be
taken when the anonymity is lifted.
The contact point has shown that NGOs and social partners play a key role in bringing
forward cases of third-country nationals in undeclared work or subject to exploitation.
In terms of outcomes for third-country nationals, as a result of inspections carried out
on the basis of complaints lodged with the contact point, employers have been obliged
to pay due wages (different between wage received and the minimum wage) and
salaries, as well as tax and social security contributions. A legal presumption that
undocumented workers worked at least three months was introduced in line with EU law,
unless there is evidence to the contrary, as it is generally very difficult to prove the
working relationship and its duration. Where there is insufficient information to oblige
the employer to pay the outstanding wage(s), the FPS draws up a criminal report for the
public prosecutor. A criminal report is also filed for illegal employment of an irregular
third-country national towards the employer. The argument that paying the wages might
32
Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection
of persons who report breaches of Union law.
57
influence the outcome of that penal procedure sometimes prompts payment of the wages
owed.
For further information please refer to Annex 5
Labour exploitation is especially hard to detect. The Netherlands’ ‘Programme for
investigating labour exploitation’ (see below) and other inspectorates use indicators to help
inspectors to identify cases during inspections.
Example: Specific indicators to identify labour exploitation
Reports on work accidents or workers show injuries during inspections on-site, as
there is a connection between undeclared work and labour exploitation and poor
occupational and health conditions;
False or no documents, as those documents are being held by someone else;
Isolation; workers seem like they were instructed to act a certain way or do not
know the language, cannot leave their workplace, or/and seem anxious;
Long working days;
Underpayment; no payment; no access to their earnings; no bank account
Reports of ‘debt-bondage’, such as fines for transport and accommodation reported
by the workers, or charged for services they do not need;
Poor housing conditions; such as living on-site or in inadequate housing
Reported threats and violence.
In the construction sector, tools to increase detection chiefly target larger sites than home
or maintenance, linked to the more exploitative tendencies of these places (European
Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017c). Measures often simplify the identification of
workers, such as ID cards in Belgium, Sweden and Finland (European Platform tackling
undeclared work, 2017c). In Sweden, the ID06 project requires all workers at construction
sites to register and carry identity cards (ILO, 2009). In Finland, tax numbers simplify
recognition of employees and ensure that the appropriate taxes are paid, which is user-
friendly for the employer. The system could potentially be transferred to other sectors
(EMN, 2017). In the Belgian construction sector, every subcontractor needs to register
their workers via Checkin@Work (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017c). In
Germany, obligatory IDs were extended to the private security sector in 2019.
Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit fraud, Germany
The 2019 ‘Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit fraud’ provides new
responsibilities and increased resources to the German unit for monitoring undeclared
work, the FKS. Several measures aim to address undeclared work, illegal employment
and the misuse of government benefits more consistently and effectively. It therefore
seeks to better protect employees from minimum wage and social security violation and
against labour exploitation in general.
While the legislation targets national workers, EU citizens and third-country nationals, it
provides the FKS with new investigate powers that can prevent recruitment practices
that are often used before third-country nationals start working undeclared, often under
exploitive working conditions. For example, the FKS is now investigates recruitment in
public ‘pick up spots’, reviews online and print recruitment and checks suitable
accommodation agreed in a collective agreement (e.g. in the construction sector) by
entering housing to inspect its suitability.
For further information please refer to Annex 5
58
Increased and specialised inspections as the main deterrence instrument
In most Member States, enforcement authorities carry out inspections to tackle undeclared
work and illegal employment. Good practices to solve current shortcomings of inspections
include joint inspections between several enforcement authorities; a specialisation to
identify aspects of labour exploitation; building up trust with potentially exploited third-
country workers and providing legal and language support and advice during and after
inspections.
Key challenges to address undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-country
nationals are the insufficient number of inspections and poor coordination among the
police, immigration authorities, tax and customs administration and labour inspectorates
(FRA, 2018; ILO, 2009). In other cases, the scope of the investigation is inefficient, for
example the Finnish Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland/Division of
Occupational Health and Safety noted that it is required to meet a certain number of
inspections set by the Finnish government, which prevents detailed investigations. In
Sweden, the 2019 status report of the RAC (see Section 6.2) concludes that ‘foreign
workers feature in all risk environments, where the State’s possibilities of inspecting and
managing any undocumented workers are limited. Obstacles to the enforcement of entry
refusal and deportation, and the challenges concerning lack of border controls, mean that
workplace inspections as a method of keeping undocumented labour in check in some cases
are ineffective’. Another example are inspections in Czechia, where the capacity of the
labour inspectorate is challenged by the time-consuming detection of fraudulent posting
arrangements of Ukrainian workers who arrive on a Polish visa (Trčka et al., 2018).
Tensions of labour inspectors checking illegal employment
In the context of undeclared work, illegal employment and labour exploitation, labour
inspectorates are often challenged to balance their mandate to ensure fair work for all
workers while addressing illegal employment in an EU with increasing cross-border
mobility of services and workers which also results in cross-border mobility of third-
country nationals (ILO, 2009). Labour inspection does not only aim to enforce legislation
but promotes equality in the labour market and prevents xenophobia and racism (ILO,
2018). However, there are concerns that a focus on residence and work permits may
divert resources from monitoring working conditions and increase migrants’ reluctance
to complain to a labour inspector (who then needs to report irregularities to migration
authorities or the police) (ILO, 2018).
ILO standards note that cooperation between labour inspectorates and immigration
authorities need to focus on rights and decent working conditions of all workers. The
Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), and the Labour Inspection (Agriculture)
Convention, 1969 (No. 129) stress ‘the primary duty of labour inspectors is to protect
workers and not to enforce immigration law. It has further emphasised that duties
additional to enforcing laws on working conditions and the protection of workers, such
as enforcement of immigration laws, may be assigned to labour inspectors only in so far
as they do not interfere with their primary duties.’ In order to ensure that sufficient
resources are allocated to monitoring fair working conditions, a clear division of tasks
between enforcement authorities is recommended by the ILO, for example that migration
authorities focus on illegal employment and inspectorates on work conditions during
inspections. However, labour inspectorate services are often specifically mandated to
monitor the employment of migrant workers or aspects of immigration law. For example,
in Czechia, the State Labour Inspection Office enforces the Employment Act which covers
both undeclared and illegal employment. In the Netherlands, the Inspectorate SZW
supervises compliance the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (amongst other
regulations).
PICUM and ETUC call for the establishment of a ‘firewall’ between labour inspectorates
and social security authorities on the one side and immigration authorities on the other,
59
so that irregularly staying migrants do not face deportation when they wish to access
essential services or report abuse or exploitation. In Austria, for example, labour
inspectors are exempt from monitoring illegal employment and undeclared work (ILO,
2010), which are addressed by the Financial Police. In France, labour inspectors check
permits of third-country nationals during inspections and they are, next to the police and
the general border directorate,
33
responsible for identifying offences relating to the
employment of foreigners. They have however ‘a strong organisational culture not to
share information for immigration enforcement purposes’ and plan procedures allowing
irregularly staying third-country nationals to first start their regularisation procedures.
Thus, most irregularly staying third-country nationals are not obliged to leave the
country after an inspection (PICUM, 2020).
Inspections often target high-risk sectors, based on available information in risk
assessments, combined with broader, random controls. Workplaces in agriculture, small
construction sites, domestic or maintenance services are difficult to inspect. Subcontracting
schemes using fraudulent posting are also difficult to detect and can involve letterbox
companies and fraudulent temporary work agencies who supply labour and ‘disappear’
during investigations (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2017b).
For labour exploitation, in particular, the scaling-up of detection and deterrence measures,
in the form of better targeted workplace inspections and a mixture of announced and
unannounced inspections (some employers intentionally hide irregular migrants) can
increase their effectiveness.
Recommendations: Improvement measures during inspections
The report ‘Protecting migrant workers from exploitation in the EU: boosting workplace
inspections’ (FRA, 2018) identified the following improvement measures:
Unannounced inspections;
Regularly changing the inspectors who visit sites;
Having inspectors, not the employer, choose the workers to question;
Not questioning workers in the presence of employers and co-workers;
Asking different questions during consecutive inspections;
Building trust with irregularly staying workers;
Ensuring that labour inspectors are trained to identify the signs of abuse and to
cross-check evidence, and that they are prepared to defend the rights of workers;
More extensive controls to encompass specific sub-sectors of the economy that are
insufficiently inspected, such as: meat processing companies, kebab restaurants and
hotels providing spa services (mentioned by research participants of the FRA study
in Poland);
Inspectors should not limit themselves to checking documents but should also check
working conditions and speak with the workers.
Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland were recommended to increase the
frequency of inspections, while Italy and Poland were advised to improve the efficiency
and thoroughness of their inspections (FRA, 2018).
During inspections, the staff of enforcement authorities and supporting advice services are
pivotal to explain workers’ rights. For example, the Italian labour inspectorate stated that
labour inspectors always inform third-country nationals about their rights in relation to
remuneration and social security contributions, working conditions and the principles of
33
Article L.8271-17 of the Labour Code. The Social Security Code also allows enforcement authorities to share
data investigating offences relating to illegal employment to investigate fraud generated by undeclared work.
60
non-discrimination and protection of minors and working mothers, irrespective of their
residence and work permit status. Another example is the inspection in Section 7 that
involved the Migration and Good Work Counselling Centre in Germany to provide advice
on labour and residence law to affected employees, as well as providing accommodation
and meals.
Language skills are strongly linked to the knowledge of workers’ rights and especially
vulnerable groups might not be aware of their rights. During inspections, relevant
information is hence ideally translated into an understandable language for the third-
country national, and a possible referral to support services during inspections and advice
on how to file a complaint or gain compensation support the protections of rights of these
workers(FRA, 2018; Chudžíková et al., 2018).
In Finland, inspectors use interview guidance in 20 languages when interviewing foreign
workers. If the foreign workers cannot communicate in Finnish, English (or another
language spoken by the inspector), they are given the guidance notes to complete. Another
example is Ireland (see below), which combines preventative measures and inspections,
using multilingual material and specific guidance for inspectors on domestic work cases, a
sector that is traditionally difficult to inspect.
Example: Domestic inspections in Ireland
In Ireland, the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland and the Workplace Relations Commission
(WRC) campaigned to improve work conditions for migrant au pairs who often worked
undeclared in exchange for ‘pocket money’ and lodgings. The WRC raised concerns about
possible cases of exploitation (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2018b).
The WRC organised themed campaigns involving multilingual brochures and adverts on
online recruitment sites, advising on minimum wage entitlements for domestic workers.
Most inspections are prompted by official sources, i.e. tax returns where the employer
was classed as a domestic work employer. There is thus the limitation that some
employers (especially of au pairs) are not registered officially. Domestic workers can
also file a complaint online via the information and customer services of the inspectorate,
which may lead to inspections in (but not exclusively) private homes.
Inspectors first check if the employer is registered as an employer. They then contact
the household to request a visit, using a standard appointment letter that includes a
Code of Practice on employment in other people’s homes and a domestic work leaflet,
along with the right to refusal. Those who refuse (reportedly about one-third) must
attend an interview and provide relevant documentation.
In private homes, inspectors follow the usual inspection routine except with a single
inspector (in most cases). The inspector meets separately with the domestic worker and
is particularly vigilant about protecting the source of the inspection. Inspectors explain
the legislation to the employer and the employee, with multilingual leaflets and
interpretation if needed. For non-EEA domestic workers with a work authorisation (this
is uncommon, as permits are not generally issued for domestic work), work permit
conditions are checked. Inspectors are aware of indicators of human trafficking.
From 2011 to 2016, around 77 % of inspections took place in private homes and 11 %
in accountants’/solicitors’ offices, following a refusal of a domestic inspection. 61 % of
the workers were Irish and 18 % were Filipino, and 20 % of cases were recorded as
‘live-in’ workers. 61 % of employers had breached the Organisation of Working Time
Act, 8 % did not provide payslips, 5 % did not have written terms and conditions of
employment, and 3 % had issues with minimum wage (resulting in the recovery of
EUR 9 000 in wage arrears) (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2018b).
The WRC has been successful in a number of au pair cases in securing wages from
employers. Irish law does not have a definition for au pairs and many come to Ireland
on student visas and then start working in the sector (Smith, 2015), and the unclear
employment relation makes them vulnerable for labour exploitation and undeclared
61
work. Due to the domestic inspections, the inspections proved an eligible employment
relation which entitled the au pairs to all employment rights under Irish law. This also
allowed the Irish statutory bodies responsible for dealing with employee complaints
made substantial awards to au pairs who did not receive employment rights.
In 2016/2017, the WRC also investigated 97 entities advertising as au pair agencies. Of
these, 17 subsequently obtained licences, 40 ceased trading and 23 never traded (the
rest did not require licences or were connected to other agencies).
Labour inspectors need training and guidance to identify (often complex) cases of labour
exploitation during workplace inspections. Some countries have specialised guidance
material for inspections, inspection scripts for suspected cases of illegal employment,
labour exploitation/undeclared work or checklists for high-risk sectors. In Belgium, labour
inspectorates use the ‘Toolkit to combat trafficking in persons’, where there are suspected
cases of trafficking in human beings.
A special programme with a focus on labour exploitation and/or trafficking in human beings
exists in the Netherlands, which places significant focus on ensuring that victims of labour
exploitation are treated well, and on the need for inspectors to build trust with migrant
workers.
Example: Programme for investigating labour, the Netherlands
In the ‘Programme for investigating labour exploitation’, the Dutch Inspectorate (SZW)
deploys a mix of tools to tackle labour exploitation of third-country nationals. Targeted
risk analysis, specialised joint inspections, and cooperation with partners aim to prevent
impunity of employers and support victims of labour exploitation.
The ‘Programme for investigating labour exploitation’ has identified labour exploitation
successfully via building up trust with workers. Almost all third-country nationals who
were victims of labour exploitation and interviewed in FRA research felt they had been
treated well by the police or labour inspectorate during inspections that involved the
‘Programme for investigating labour exploitation’ (FRA, 2018). They felt informed about
their rights, as well as about the aim of the inspection, they were encouraged to report
abuse and were advised about the next steps after the inspection. In some cases, the
police or labour inspectors provided an opportunity for the workers to get their
belongings or they were referred to support organisations.
For further information please refer to Annex 5
Finally, the legislative framework of labour exploitation and their mandate to intervene is
an issue for some inspectors. In Finland, the occupational safety and health authorities
pointed out that the existing legislation is not sufficient to intervene against exploitation.
Underpayment of wages, for example, is not a criminal offence, and the authorities can
only give advice to the employer. In the Netherlands, labour exploitation as defined in
criminal law is difficult to prove and the inspectorate has less leeway to intervene in more
moderate cases of labour exploitation.
Penalties have different outcomes for employers and migrant workers
Undeclared work is primarily penalised through administrative sanctions (some countries
also have criminal sanctions), often taken forward by labour inspectorates. However,
undeclared work is defined differently in national legislation, thus the responsible
authorities also differ (ILO, 2010). Illegal employment can result in administrative and
criminal sanctions, with the penalty increasing with the severity of the irregularity in some
countries. Labour exploitation can constitute an infringement of both criminal and labour
law. In cases that fall under criminal law, labour inspectorates are often involved in
detection (e.g. via workplace inspections), which are then forwarded to the police and
judicial authorities. In some countries, inspectorates also have the power to prosecute,
e.g. in Italy, labour exploitation under the ‘caporalato’ recruitment system is a specific
criminal offence and labour inspectors act as ‘Judicial Police Officials’ on behalf of the public
62
prosecutor. In Germany, new legislation introduced in 2019 (see section 6.4) gives FKS
officials the power to conduct and conclude criminal proceedings independently in simple
cases involving withholding and misappropriation of wages.
Detected irregularities can lead to different sanctions and recovery procedures: labour
inspectorates typically impose fines for all different types of labour law violations and illegal
employment (in some countries) and more moderate cases of labour exploitation that fall
under labour law. Health and safety authorities enforce sanctions for health and safety
regulations, while social security authorities follow the evasion and recovery of unpaid
social contributions, and tax/revenue administrations are responsible for tax non-
compliance sanctions. Migration authorities and the police investigate illegal employment
under criminal law or under administrative law if there are only administrative sanctions.
Sanctions for employers
Sanctions for employers include fines and criminal penalties. Employers are also, if
appropriate, subject to other measures: the exclusion from entitlement to some or all
public benefits, aid or subsidies for up to five years, the exclusion from participation in a
public contract, the recovery of some or all public benefits, aid or subsidies for up to 12
months preceding the detection of illegal employment, and temporary or permanent
closure of establishments or temporary or permanent withdrawal of a license to conduct
the business activity. For employers, administrative and criminal sanctions depend on how
national law regulates non-compliance and the severity of infringements. For labour law
violations, employers generally face administrative fines, with the amount often linked to
the severity of the case and whether or not the offence is repeated. It can increase to
criminal sanctions if fines are not paid. In migration law, the Employers Sanctions Directive
mandates the imposition of sanctions on employers who hire workers from third countries
who are not legally residing. Prison sentences for employers of irregularly staying third-
country nationals are applied in 17 Member States, while 13 Member States also include it
as an option for employers of regularly staying third-country nationals (EMN, 2017).
The effectiveness of sanctions in deterring employers from engaging people in undeclared
work and illegal employment depends significantly on the scale and nature of the sanction
and the likelihood of such sanctions being enforced. When it comes to illegal employment,
irregularly staying migrants, in particular, are afraid to report exploitative employers,
which in turn increases the impunity of employers. The levels of fines vary between
Member States, and low amounts might not suffice to deter employers from undeclared
work (OECD, 2018; ILO, 2009; PICUM, 2015). Despite the efforts of the Employers
Sanctions Directive to call for appropriate sanctions for employers of irregularly staying
and illegally working third-country nationals, fines for the employment of irregularly
staying nationals range from EUR 210 per worker in Latvia to EUR 10 000 to EUR 100 000
per illegally hired employee in Spain (EMN, 2017). The evidence about the effect on
undeclared work by increasing fines in some Member States remains unclear (ILO, 2009).
More promising approaches seem to be the combination of fines with possible criminal
sanctions, such as imprisonment, ‘naming and shaming’ lists, and withdrawal from
eligibility for public procurement.
Sanctions for workers
As EU nationals, in some countries third-country nationals with a residence and work permit
face fines if they engage in undeclared work whilst claiming unduly unemployment
benefits.
34
However, the extent to which those fines are coherently imposed remains
unclear and enforcement authorities concentrate sanctions on employers (European
Platform tackling undeclared work).
Penalties for illegal employment include fines, detention, a loss of their residence and/or
work permit, entry ban to the country, or a return decision. Fines can be difficult for low-
34
For example, Greece and Poland introduced fines for workers who work undeclared while receiving
unemployment benefits. In Poland, workers can be punished for not informing the labour office about taking up
employment within seven days.
63
income workers to pay (particularly where they are without any social net), while many
are likely to avoid return or imprisonment at high costs.
The prospect of sanctions is an entirely different one for irregularly staying migrants and
those who are not allowed to work, who have, in most cases, no choice other than to work
undeclared (PICUM, 2020). Irregularly staying workers most commonly face a return
decision, including a period for voluntary departure, while regularly staying migrants face
the loss of their right to stay in 15 Member States (EMN, 2017; OECD, 2018)
35
and several
countries can also ban them from re-entering the country. Irregular stay and entry are
criminal offences, punishable by imprisonment in many countries, and more national
guidance is needed to treat migrants in an irregular situation in line with the Return
Directive (2008/115/EC) safeguards (FRA, 2014).
8 ROUTES OUT OF UNDECLARED WORK AND EXPLOITATION
Once illegal or undeclared work is detected, workers most likely face return and possibly
detention, as well as fines. However, irregularly staying migrants or those without a work
authorisation face significant challenges in accessing their rights to unclaimed wages or to
press legal charges against an exploitative employer. Another possible outcome, available
in a few countries, is for third-country nationals to join a regularisation programme that
enables them to move from undeclared to declared work. The pros and cons of these
programmes are much debated. Research points towards a careful design of the scope and
eligibility criteria in regularisation schemes whilst addressing illegal migration routes.
Key findings
Third-country nationals, especially those in an irregular situation, face substantial
barriers to access their rights, to claim compensation of unpaid wages or to press
charges against an exploitive employer.
Regularisation schemes have been widely debated, also with the recent COVID-
19 pandemic. They offer a chance to transfer undeclared work into declared work
and provide access for irregularly staying migrants to support services whilst
lifting them out of exploitive work. In order to transform undeclared and illegal
work into decent work, they need to be carefully designed in terms of their
frequency, universality and eligibility rules (e.g. language requirements and
setting conditions for future compliance).
8.1 Access to justice and repayment of wages
In principle, regularly or irregularly residing third-country nationals who work irregularly
or undeclared can claim compensation of unpaid wages in 20 Member States,
36
often with
the help of social partners and trade unions (EMN, 2017). The Employers Sanctions
Directive set out that Member States the reimbursement of wages of irregularly staying
third-country nationals. The Directive also regulates that Member States may, on a case-
by-case basis, grant permits of limited duration, linked to the length of the relevant
national proceedings.
Most civil courts and labour tribunals do not check residence permits and – in theory – do
not report this status to migration authorities (PICUM, 2020). Like the initial identification
of cases of undeclared work and labour exploitation, however, migrant workers are often
afraid to come forward with their claims because of the possible consequences (FRA, 2018),
thus in many cases they are not compensated. It is especially hard for subcontracted
35
If they are identified as the victim of trafficking of human beings subject to labour exploitation, all Member States
reported that they may issue (temporary) residence and work permits.
36
Those are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece,
Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Netherlands.
64
employees to claim rights, or those employed via a letterbox company. In Germany, for
instance, labour court proceedings resulted in a judgment for compensation, but claimants
were not paid because the employers disappeared, were insolvent or just did not pay the
amount claimed (FRA, 2018).
If it comes to legal charges against the employer, significant challenges are faced by
irregularly staying migrants or those whose illegal work activity resulted in the loss of their
residency. Often, they have to leave the country before charges can be pursued. If they
succeed in progressing legal charges, there are language barriers, costs of court cases,
missing evidence (employment contracts, timesheets) or a lack of information about the
case by the respective authority (FRA, 2019).
While enforcement authorities inform workers of their rights during inspections, NGOs and
the social partners are playing an essential role in providing advice and support with legal
procedures, such as claiming unpaid wages or exercising other rights after the detection
of cases. For example, the German trade union, Ver.di, provides legal advice to workers in
an irregular situation, as does the UNDOK centre for migrant workers in an irregular
situation, run by the Austrian Confederation of Trade Unions (OGB) (ILO, 2018). Another
example is the ‘Arbeit und Leben’ counselling service of the German Trade Union
Confederation (DGB), which supports workers in claiming outstanding remuneration by
establishing direct contact with the employer, sending written assertions or filing lawsuits
with the relevant labour court (EMN, 2017). It was also noted that this support also
depends highly the availability of support services, which are often only available in urban
areas.
8.2 Granting protection for victims of labour exploitation
Victims of trafficking in human beings can be granted residence permits under Directive
2004/81/EC. Authorities must inform those concerned of their rights and they are
permitted a ‘reflection period’ during which they may not be expelled, have access to
accommodation and treatment, translation and free legal aid, if provided for in national
law. The authorities need to evaluate the possible presence of the victim in the
investigation, the victim’s clear intention to cooperate and whether they have stopped
working with the suspected offender. Third-country national victims of trafficking in human
beings or who have been the subject of an action to facilitate illegal immigration, and who
cooperate with the competent authorities can receive a residence permit in some countries
(Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden),
usually on humanitarian grounds.
Whilst the above-mentioned Directive allows for the ‘reflection period’ for victims of
trafficking, some Member States seem to provide this also to victims of other forms of
labour exploitation. For example, as soon as Dutch Inspectorate SZW has the slightest
indication of labour exploitation, the third-country national is regarded as a victim and
offered a reflection period, in which they can recover and carefully consider whether to
cooperate with the prosecution. This reflection period is important in providing early
protection for victims and is also in the interest of the investigation of the police as the
victim remains available to the police.
This approach is similar in Sweden, where the Swedish Gender Equality Agency and
Swedish trade unions provide assistance to the third-country nationals. The Swedish
Gender Equality Agency uses risk indicators to assess the presence of human trafficking
and exploitation. Affected workers have to clearly state that they are victims of human
trafficking or labour exploitation. If it finds victims of labour exploitation or trafficking, it
supports them when reporting to the police (victims are provided a 30-day ‘reflection
period’, during which they can decide whether to cooperate with the police and avail of six
months’ temporary residence) and informs them about voluntary return.
There is however a risk that irregular third-country nationals who are exploited are not
seen as potential victims of labour exploitation but primarily as irregularly staying
migrants, often resulting in return proceedings. Consequently, employer-targeted
detection and deterrence measures that do not consider the specific situation of migrants
65
(who often work illegally and undeclared out of necessity) might not enforce the rights of
third-country nationals (FRA, 2018; Chudžíková et al., 2018).
FRA (FRA, 2019) highlights a promising practice for victims of labour exploitation: the
‘Reactivation Employment Permit Scheme’, whereby third-country nationals who entered
Ireland on a valid employment permit but who fell out of the employment permit and
immigration system through no fault of their own (e.g. redundancy), or were badly treated
or exploited in the workplace, can work legally again. This is available for most occupations,
including certain carers but excluding all jobs in a domestic setting. Third-country nationals
are often referred to the scheme via NGOs, but there are often long processing times which
may cause the individual to fall back into illegal and undeclared work (EMN, 2017).
8.3 Regularisation as a way to transfer undeclared work into declared work
Over the last two decades, several countries have introduced schemes to regularise the
residence/work status of (certain groups of) third-country nationals (EMN, 2017), thus
facilitating their transition into declared work. Regularisation became more widely debated
with arguments in favour outlining the economic and social benefits by moving migrants
from informal to formal employment and criticism of regularisation as ‘encouraging illegal
migration and undermining migration control’ on the contrary (OECD, 2018). In light of
the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, regularisation schemes are again high on the political
agenda in many countries.
Regularisation is a way of granting access to basic rights, decent employment and related
welfare services, in particular for marginalised irregularly staying third-country nationals
(Kraler, 2018). Several countries offered voluntary disclosure in the past, especially
southern European countries because of their high numbers of irregularly staying migrants.
In 2001, a voluntary disclosure in Italy targeted employers and workers to formalise either
straight away or gradually over a three-year period. This resulted in 1 794 declarations
from businesses and 3 854 new declared workers, although there was also a larger ‘silent’
formalisation in that 385 000 extra declared workers were registered that year during a
time of economic stagnation (Meldolesi 2003). In Spanish regularisation campaigns, 11
000 foreigners benefitted from a 1991 regularisation (ILO, 2010). In 2018 in Spain, 36
735 people were documented through the various ‘arraigo’ regularisation mechanisms
(Observatorio Permanente de la Inmigración, 2019).
Nevertheless, even in the few Member States that have regularisation schemes, the
conditions have become stricter in recent years (Chauvin et al., 2014; Boswell, C. and
Geddes, A., 2010). In some countries, irregularly staying third-country nationals may be
granted an authorisation to stay if they remain a certain amount of time in one job.
However, there is a risk of increased dependency on the employer if a possible residence
permit is linked to a certain amount of time in one employment relationship, or where it is
conditional on the employer signing a contract (FRA, 2019).
In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, several social partner organisations stressed
the critical moment to ensure efforts to regularise the status of migrants to reduce labour
exploitation and social exclusion of irregular migrant workers (European Federation of
Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions, 2020; European Trade Union Confederation
(ETUC), 2020). Regularisation schemes based on voluntary disclosure can take various
forms; they include or do not include a sanction for non-compliance, can be targeted at
specific sectors or specific groups (such as Spain’s recent focus on teenagers to prevent
them becoming undocumented). In addition, they can include financial incentives such as
temporary financial support for employers and/or workers (including also additional
incentives to employ a declared worker long-term) (Williams et al, 2020c). Several
countries have expanded regularisation schemes, recognising that huge numbers of third-
country nationals simply will not return and need access to legal and social protection
(Camilli et al., 2020)
Portugal was one of the first countries to implement a limited regularisation scheme
responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding to grant temporary residency rights that
allow access to services to people with a pending application for regularisation until 1 July
66
2020 (now extended until 31 March 2021). An employment contract is a common way to
request residency. Moreover, third-country nationals can also request residence if the work
relation is proven by a union, a migrant community representative or the Platform member,
or the Authority for Working Conditions, as long as the entry to the country happened
through regular means and the person is authorised to work. However, there are concerns
about the time it takes the public administration to process these claims (Statewatch,
2020).
As part of the ‘Relaunch’ bill in Italy, which aims to reform the sectors agriculture, domestic
work and social care more widely in order to tackle undeclared work by natives and migrant
workers, the Minister of Agriculture announced that from 1 June to 15 July 2020, requests
for regularisation may be submitted for agricultural workers, and domestic workers and
carers. An employment contract mentioning the duration and remuneration of the
employed workers, along with the relevant national collective labour agreement, is
required. At the same time, third-country nationals working in both sectors whose
residency permit expired by 31 October 2019 can apply for a temporary 6-month permit
to look for work that will allow them to apply for a permit or, if they are already working
undeclared, their employer can apply to regularise their contract. The same applies to
Italian nationals with an undeclared job. Applicants should not have left Italy since at least
8 March (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2020). A web site and helpline
support with the progress. Workers can apply until 15 July 2020 with a passport or similar
ID document,
37
for the procedure, they also receive compensation of EUR 500.
Italy’s strategy includes a target of 200 000 regularisations between June and August 15,
2020, which seems now unlikely (24 Italia, 10 June 2020). Since 1 June, 32 000 requests
have been made by employers, 91 % of them in domestic work. The trade union ‘Unione
italiana lavoratori agroalimentari’ states that many agricultural companies profit from tax
evasion and are therefore not interested in regularising and residency permits do not
guarantee regular contracts (Radiopopolare, 16 June 2020). Here, job matching in
cooperation with social partners, investment into reception infrastructures in rural areas
and transport could help to address wider issues in the sector.
In Spain, third-country workers whose permit was about to expire and those regularly
staying aged between 18 and 21 could get a permit. In May 2020, residence and work
permit were extended for two years (with a possible renewal of two more years) to young
third-country nationals with an employment contract in the agricultural sector. For
regularly staying migrants, permits were extended for 6 months following the expiry date
of all temporary work, residence and study permits, that expired during the public health
crisis or 90 days before its declaration. Moreover, most detention centres have been closed
under the COVID-19 outbreak, so people held there have been released and are now in
the reception system (Statewatch, 2020; Camilli et al., 2020). Spain also introduced
activities to prevent migrant workers to become irregular, such as easier and less
conditional procedures to obtain family reunification and/or the renewal of their residency
(Palumbo, L., et al, 2020).
While the above measures signal certain short-term relief, there have been concerns about
the target group of these schemes, as the measures in Italy and Spain do not address
everyone staying irregularly as they do not cover all sectors (Statewatch, 2020). The
Italian approach was also criticised for suspending ongoing criminal and administrative
proceedings against employers, and passing on the cost of regularising an employment
relationship to the worker (Palumbo, L., et al, 2020).
Research suggests that Member States need to carefully consider how regularisation
interacts with other measures on irregular migration and legal migration policies (Kraler et
al., 2009; Finotelli et al., 2006), if they are targeted at certain sectors or the whole
economy, how frequent they will be deployed and how to set eligibility rules (e.g. language
requirements and setting conditions for future compliance). In order to transfer undeclared
37
The deadline of 15 July 2020 and the need to present identification have been criticised by NGOs and social
partners, as to early and many asylum seekers have no identification.
67
work into declared work, schemes should be voluntary without penalty for past non-
compliance,
38
but with guarantees of future compliance (Williams, 2014). In addition, the
combination of temporary financial support with the schemes can further incentivise
employers and workers.
It has also been underlined that regularisation schemes, often short term, should be part
of a wider approach of policy measures to protect workers’ rights, welfare services and
minimising fraud in sub-contracting (Palumbo, L., et al, 2020).
9 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Migrants engage in undeclared work and illegal employment under different circumstances,
caused by their residency (regularly versus irregularly staying), work status (work
authorisation with significant limitations, expired, non-valid or non-existing right to work)
status or/and their more marginalised position on the labour market. Where labour
exploitation is concerned, some employers have developed strategies to take advantage
of the residency and work status and /or their marginalised position to exercise their power
over the worker in order to cut costs. Hence, undeclared work can be one aspect of labour
exploitation which is the significant deviation of decent work. In turn, undeclared work
increases the risk of labour exploitation, as the worker is ‘hidden’ from enforcement
authorities.
While it is often unclear whether regularly staying third-country nationals work undeclared
by choice or because they are pressured by their employer, regularly staying non-EU
nationals with certain limitations on their work authorisations (e.g. those tied to single
employers) or fraudulently posted workers are also more exposed to labour exploitation.
The third group – people without a right to work or irregularly staying migrants – typically
have no choice other than to work undeclared and their precarious status substantially
increases the risk of labour exploitation.
Most cases of work irregularity take place in labour-intensive sectors with a high workforce
demand, often in jobs regarded as unattractive by the rest of the population. Those sectors
are difficult to monitor, due to workplace settings such as changing sites in construction,
agriculture or transport, and widespread use of complex subcontracting chains. Some
sectors (domestic work, construction and transport) are highly gendered, leading to
different risks for women and men of being discriminated and exploited.
The main push factor for illegal and undeclared work is the hope of better economic
opportunities, as most workers come from countries with lower wages and job prospects,
and often also with a higher share of undeclared work. In addition to their residence and
work status (which determine their risk of undeclared work and exploitation), they also
face a higher risk of being exploited if they are low-skilled and do not know the language.
Illegal employment, undeclared work and potential labour exploitation are tackled by
different authorities which exchange information and inspect workplaces together. NGOs
and social partners play a very important role in providing insights on the ground and in
establishing trust with workers.
Most interventions by the labour, tax and social security authorities focus on inspections,
although there are some preventive measures targeting migrant workers. However,
numerous challenges mean that interventions are insufficient to tackle complex
irregularities, such as limited or no data, scarce resources in enforcement authorities,
insufficient cooperation between responsible institutions and challenges to detect labour
exploitation.
38
There were reported incidents when the employer made the employee pay the fine. If this is nevertheless done,
employers can be incentivised to hire declared workers for longer by reducing the amount of the penalties the
longer the employer commits to employment.
68
Based on the information collected for this study and the findings presented in individual
Sections, the following recommendations can be made at operational, national and EU
levels.
At operational level in enforcement authorities:
Cooperation between enforcement authorities, such as inspectorates, tax and
social security authorities, the police, migration and health and safety agencies, needs
to be clearly defined. In Germany, for example, cooperation has been regulated by
the government to provide for data sharing and inspection mandates. In Sweden,
despite increasingly close cooperation between authorities, stringent professional
secrecy rules have prevented the sharing of data on undeclared work under the
Regional Agency Collaboration. Yet, a Swedish government assignment on authorities’
cooperation against organised crime has developed rules for the exchange of
information under certain circumstances. Sharing data or information on suspicious
cases helps authorities to address those issues more efficiently, to understand the
scale of the problem and to intervene earlier. Joint inspections require a clear division
of tasks according to the mandate of each authority. In cases of labour exploitation,
there needs to be a clearer division of activities between migration and labour
inspectors to allow victims to seek support without fearing arrest, detention and
deportation.
In addition, collaboration with NGOs and social partners is essential to identify
issues, get on-the-ground expertise and build trust with workers. In some inspections,
trade unions and NGOs are present to inform concerned workers of their rights and
obligations immediately.
A more balanced approach between targeted measures combining detection and
deterrence, through inspections and sanctions on the one hand, and prevention on the
other. The latter inform migrant workers on their rights and regulations and build trust
in public authorities while communicating the benefits of declared work. On the supply
side, employers can be incentivised to comply with migration and labour law through
support in recruitment and chain liability. Workers can be informed about compliance
through multilingual materials, advisory centres and outreach. On the demand side,
personal and household vouchers can formalise employment in sectors traditionally
difficult to inspect, e.g. domestic sector.
Recruitment agencies and employers in high-risk sectors can be incentivised
for compliance by ‘quality licences’ that require them to meet criteria (previous
compliance, transparency of contracts, appropriate accommodation, etc.). Such
systems could also offer employers to register workers from third countries in a simple
way. In addition, information about employers complying in this regime could be
published on websites where third-country nationals and migrant workers could inform
themselves about possible employers via a transparent via one-stop shop (e.g.
currently in the agriculture sector in Italy or fishing sector in Denmark).
Many cases of undeclared work bear signs of exploitation or coercion that are not
sufficiently taken into account by enforcement authorities. This could be addressed
by: a clear definition of exploitation; a mandate for the inspection authority to
intervene; training; indicators on labour exploitation; specialised teams (such as in the
Netherlands); and increased responsibility and/or resources (such as the legislative
change in Germany). EU nationals working in low-skilled jobs often face similar risks
of undeclared work and possible exploitation because of their marginalised status. They
are also often involved in fraudulent posting schemes.
Undeclared and illegal work and labour exploitation can be detected earlier by
monitoring recruitment on websites (for serious crime, Europol supports Member
States with intelligence about suspicious websites), local ‘pick-up’ spots or improper
housing arrangements.
Possibilities to increase reporting by affected workers are one way to detect
cases. Confidentiality should be emphasised, especially for cases of labour exploitation.
Where irregularly staying third-country nationals cannot report their cases, NGOs and
social partners should be supported to use those tools for them.
69
During inspections, third-country national workers need to be offered relevant,
multilingual information on their rights and access to justice in cases of abuse, for
instance by multilingual information sheets or through interpreters. In the case of
exploited workers, it is important to gain their trust during inspections, by offering
support, speaking to workers separately, or following-up after inspections.
In severe forms of undeclared work and labour exploitation, authorities must
make sure that victimised workers are taken care of and supported, particularly
accommodation (to take them out of improper housing), health and support services
to access justice.
To enforce infringements discovered during investigations, a combination of
appropriate fines and other sanctions (such as exclusion from public procurement
procedures, or (temporary) business closure) can increase deterrence. Where possible,
a restorative approach should be promoted, converting undeclared work into declared
work.
At national level:
Member states could provide legal migration pathways for low to middle-skilled
workers in sectors with high workforce demand, where they do not exist yet. For
example, there are limited legal migration possibilities in sectors such as domestic
work, leading to the misuse of au pair schemes.
Sector-based residence permits or visas, rather than single-employer permits, can
reduce the risk of undeclared work and labour exploitation. FRA outlines that work and
residence permits should not be linked to one employer (especially in precarious
sectors) but should, rather, allow a person to change employer and to complain about
exploitation without losing their residency (FRA, 2019).
Residence permits should not automatically end when employment is
terminated. For instance, if third-country nationals lose their jobs and become irregular
as a result of labour exploitation, EU Member States should consider granting them
the possibility of applying for a new residence permit with a new employer or granting
them sufficient time to look for a new employer.
Involving trade unions and workers’ organisations in the design, governance and
evaluation of temporary migration programmes in order to provide sector-specific
insight and to develop measures to support their labour market integration.
While illegal employment is clearly defined and more visible to detect, labour
exploitation lacks a common definition, is harder to detect, and victims of more
moderate cases of exploitation are at particular risk of being sanctioned for illegal
work, while also facing numerous barriers to access justice as victims of labour
exploitation. Labour exploitation therefore needs more focus in terms of a definition
and a sufficient mandate and resources of enforcement bodies to intervene.
The current COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates the issue of undeclared and illegal
employment and related exploitation, in particular in agriculture and other food
processing sectors. This places regularisation high on the political agenda, requires
broader research into the outcomes and possibilities of regularisation as part of wider
migration policies, as well as a careful design in terms of their frequency, universality
and eligibility rules (e.g. language requirements and setting conditions for future
compliance).
At EU level:
Provide legal migration pathways for low to middle-skilled workers in sectors with
high workforce demand, where they do not exist yet.
Better qualitative and quantitative data on the issue of illegal employment,
undeclared work and labour exploitation is needed for evidence-based policy-
making and more effective measures for enforcement authorities. Future
Eurobarometer surveys could consider a ‘booster sample’, so an extra set of interviews
70
with third-country nationals to increase the sample size of this group, to analyse
undeclared work among third-country nationals.
According to enforcement authorities, many posted third-country nationals arrive
in their host country via another Member State. The European Labour Authority
can support information sharing, labour mobility analysis and risk assessments on new
trends and suspected cases of fraud and exploitation, expand cooperation
opportunities to third countries, and provide practical guidance on fraudulent posting
of third-country nationals for joint and concerted cross-border inspections. It should
also be recalled that a considerable part of the EU legislation on intra-EU labour
mobility which the Authority is competent to enforce also may cover third-country
national workers moving within the EU, notably the 96/71 and 2018/957 Directives on
Posting of Workers, the 2014/67/EU Enforcement Directive, and in relation to the
coordination of social security, Regulations (EC) No 883/2004 and 987/2009, but also
with regards to social aspects of international road transport (Regulation (EC) No
561/2006 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1054; Directive 2006/22/EU as
revised by Directive (EU) 2020/1057; Directive (EU) 2020/1057; Regulation (EC) No
1071/2009 as revised by Regulation (EU) 2020/1055).
Undeclared work, especially where it is linked to labour exploitation, is a serious issue
that is challenging for enforcement authorities. The Platform tackling undeclared
work provides the opportunity to share good practices, the development of
common guidelines and understanding (e.g. inspection guidance, indicators for labour
exploitation, fraudulent posting of third-country nationals, staff exchanges with a focus
on migrant EU and third-country workers), and exchange of information between
countries can increase capacity-building and enhance cross-border cooperation.
Further guidance on existing options for data-sharing, such as information on
TWAs or letterbox companies active in several countries, as well as a link to cross-
border cooperation with other inspectorates of non-EU sending states to check aspects
on non-compliant employers or to confirm the origin of documents of posted workers.
EU funding for specific and innovative projects, for example bilateral awareness
campaigns targeting third-country nationals in high risk sectors such as agriculture,
making them aware of the benefits of declared work.
EU delegations could become more involved by issuing local language information
materials on employment rights and conditions in the EU, targeting third-country
nationals and engaging with local trade unions.
71
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ANNEX 1: LIST OF CONSULTEES
Organisation
Country
European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
EU
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
(PICUM)
EU
Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue
Belgium
Social Information and Investigation Service (SIOD)
Belgium
Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland/Division of
Occupational Health and Safety
Finland
General Confederation of Labour (Confédération Générale du Travail,
CGT)
France
German Financial Control of Undeclared Work Unit
Germany
Ministry of Labour and Social Policies
Italy
Inspectorate SZW
Netherlands
Inspectorate SZW
Netherlands
Polish Labour Inspectorate
Poland
Labour and Social Security Inspectorate
Spain
Swedish Tax Agency
Sweden
Swedish Tax Agency
Sweden
Swedish Gender Equality Agency
Sweden
Swedish Work Environment Authority
Sweden
Swedish Work Environment Authority
Sweden
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ANNEX 2: GLOSSARY
Holistic policy approach: Where national governments use a whole government
approach to tackle undeclared work, by joining-up on the policy and enforcement level of
both strategy and operations the fields of labour, tax and social security law, and involve
and cooperate with social partners and other stakeholders. This approach involves using
the full range of direct and indirect policy measures available to enhance the power of, and
trust in, authorities respectively. The objective is to transform undeclared work into
declared work in an effective manner (European Platform tackling undeclared work,
2018c).
Undeclared work: any paid activities that are lawful as regards their nature but not
declared to public authorities, taking into account differences in the regulatory system of
Member States. This includes different types of undeclared work, including: under-declared
employment, unregistered employment, undeclared self-employment, labour
infringements through the use of umbrella companies, etc. related to labour, social security
and tax laws and regulations (European Platform tackling undeclared work, 2018c).
Illegal employment: employment of a third-country national who is irregularly staying
on the territory of an EU Member State and of a legally resident third-country national
working outside the conditions of the residence permit/visa and/or without a work
authorisation (EMN, 2018).
Labour exploitation: work situations that deviate significantly from standard working
conditions as defined by legislation or other binding legal regulations, concerning in
particular remuneration, working hours, leave entitlements, health and safety standards
and decent treatment (FRA, 2015).
Employee: An ‘employee’ is a party to an employment relationship characterised as a
contract of employment (or contract of service) between the employer and employee
(Eurofound, 2017)
Worker: Under EU law, a person must have had genuine and effective employment,
normally of at least 10 hours a week (Eurofound, 2017).
Non-standard worker: i Non-standard employment is an umbrella term for different
employment arrangements that deviate from standard employment. They include
temporary employment; part-time and on-call work; temporary agency work and other
multiparty employment relationships; as well as disguised employment and dependent
self-employment. The most relevant of possible future developments of non-standard
work, whatever their contractual form, are related to digitalisation (Eurofound, 2020).
Bogus self-employment: Often referred to as false self-employment or dependent self-
employment, this is commonly understood as involving persons/workers registered as self-
employed whose conditions of employment are de facto dependent employment. National
legislation and/or court decisions determine this status. This employment status is used to
circumvent tax and/or social insurance liabilities, or employers’ responsibilities (European
Platform tackling undeclared work, 2018c).
Third-country nationals: not a citizen of the EU. In this report, we use the terms third-
country nationals, non-EU nationals, migrants and migration which signify third-country
nationals (or non-EU/EEA nationals) (EMN, 2018).
Temporary Work Agencies: means any natural or legal person who, in compliance with
national law, concludes contracts of employment or employment relationships with
temporary agency workers in order to assign them to user undertakings (any natural or
legal person for whom and under the supervision and direction of whom a temporary
agency worker works temporarily) to work there temporarily under their supervision and
direction (Directive 2008/104/EC).
82
ANNEX 3: TOP THREE NATIONALITIES OF RESIDENCE PERMITS FOR REMUNERATED ACTIVITIES
Source : Eurostat, First permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship [migr_resfirst]. Extracted from Eurostat on 26/05/2020.
Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia
Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3
Total 3,737 31% Total 6,073 48% Total 1,621 57% Total 23,754 79% Total 9,771 47% Total 35,529 60%
United States 454 12% India 1,642 27% Russia 420 26% Bosnia and Herzegovina 12,334 52% India 1,819 19% Ukraine 17,674 50%
Bosnia and Herzegovina 405 11% United States 855 14% Turkey 306 19% Serbia 4,588 19% Philippines 1,488 15% Russia 1,838 5%
India 318 9% Japan 388 6% Ukraine 197 12% Kosovo 1,898 8% Nepal 1,329 14% Mongolia 1,718 5%
Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece
Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3
Total 11,220 57% Total 1,791 79% Total 5,705 37% Total 33,808 38% Total 68,342 29% Total 2,861 68%
Ukraine 2,760 25% Ukraine 1,046 58% India 985 17% Tunisia 5,447 16% India 7,655 11% Albania 1,635 57%
India 2,403 21% Russia 251 14% Russia 572 10% Morocco 4,812 14% Bosnia and Herzegovina 6,335 9% United States 158 6%
Philippines 1,193 11% Belarus 115 6% Ukraine 551 10% India 2,452 7% Serbia 5,603 8% Turkey 147 5%
Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg
Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3
Total 31,553 80% Total 9,480 42% Total 13,877 54% Total 3,575 76% Total 9,506 94% Total 2,142 40%
Ukraine 20,841 66% India 2,080 22% United States 3,149 23% Ukraine 1,853 52% Ukraine 5,515 58% India 430 20%
Serbia 3,365 11% United States 1,077 11% India 2,672 19% Belarus 438 12% Belarus 3,105 33% China 254 12%
India 960 3% Brazil 796 8% Albania 1,675 12% Russia 421 12% Russia 300 3% United States 176 8%
Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia
Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3
Total 10,178 52% Total 20,885 51% Total 327,605 91% Total 20,256 72% Total 6,347 58% Total 13,989 81%
Serbia 1,927 19% India 5,812 28% Ukraine 274,107 84% Brazil 9,626 48% Vietnam 2,509 40% Ukraine 7,675 55%
India 1,776 17% China 2,654 13% Belarus 20,799 6% Nepal 2,463 12% Turkey 648 10% Serbia 3,194 23%
Philippines 1,556 15% United States 2,140 10% Moldova 3,791 1% India 2,408 12% China 531 8% Vietnam 497 4%
Slovenia Spain Sweden EU-27
Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3
Total 21,030 90% Total 58,433 41% Total 24,448 45% Total 777,516 54%
Bosnia and Herzegovina 11,811 56% Morocco 17,385 30% Thailand 5,128 21% Ukraine 340,534 44%
Serbia 4,169 20% Honduras 3,527 6% India 4,747 19% India 43,997 6%
Kosovo 2,858 14% Colombia 3,105 5% China 1,211 5% Bosnia and Herzegovina 33,029 4%
Iceland Norway United Kingdom
Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3 Persons % top 3
Total 463 49% Total 8,741 43% Total 108,150 57%
United States 115 25% India 1,703 19% India 27,003 25%
Philippines 80 17% Philippines 1,039 12% United States 23,933 22%
China 32 7% Vietnam 1,003 11% Australia 10,263 9%
83
ANNEX 4: RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITIES FOR UNDECLARED WORK
AND LABOUR EXPLOITATION OF THIRD-COUNTRY NATIONALS
Country
Authority
responsible for
undeclared work
Authority
responsible for
illegal employment
Authority
responsible for
labour exploitation
Belgium
The Labour
Inspectorate of the
Federal Public
Service Employment,
Labour, and Social
Dialogue
The Inspectorate of
the National Social
Security Office
The Inspectorate of
the National
Employment Office
Regional inspection
authorities are
competent for
regionalised social
laws, including
legislation on work
permits for third-
country nationals.
They also identify
irregular work by
regularly and
irregularly staying
third-country nationals
and act as
intermediaries in
human trafficking
cases. Inspectors can
request assistance
from the police.
Federal and local
police identify illegal
employment
Immigration services
The federal and local
police focus on
trafficking and
smuggling of human
beings. Inspectors can
request assistance by
the police.
Finland
Occupational safety
and health units of
regional state
administrative
agencies, which
operate under the
Ministry of Social
Affairs and Health.
They enforce health
and safety at work,
check that
employees have the
right to work, and
that employers and
contractors fulfil their
social obligations.
They cooperate with
the police, tax
authorities and
employment services
Occupational safety
and health units of
regional state
administrative
agencies, which
operate under the
Ministry of Social
Affairs and Health.
They enforce health
and safety at work,
check that employees
have the right to work,
and that employers
and contractors fulfil
their social obligations.
Police and border
guard
Finnish immigration
service
Police
France
The labour
inspectorate is
responsible for
checking compliance
The labour
Inspectorate, the
police and customs
offices
The labour inspectorate
is responsible for
checking compliance
with the labour code
84
Country
Authority
responsible for
undeclared work
Authority
responsible for
illegal employment
Authority
responsible for
labour exploitation
with the Labour Code
and offences of
trafficking in human
beings, forced labour
and servitude.
and offences of
trafficking in human
beings, forced labour
and servitude.
The Central Office for
Combating Illegal Work
is responsible for
combating severe forms
of labour exploitation
and social security
fraud.
Germany
The Financial Control
of Undeclared Work
(FKS) is responsible
for undeclared work,
illegal employment
and labour
exploitation.
The National
Employment Agency
(approves resident
titles of third-country
nationals who want to
work in Germany)
Local, federal and
national police
The Financial Control of
Undeclared Work (FKS)
is responsible for
undeclared work and
illegal employment, and
labour exploitation.
Police
Italy
The National Labour
Inspectorate
monitors workers’
rights, working
conditions, wages,
the respect of
compulsory working
insurance and social
legislation,
occupational health
and safety.
Migration authorities
The police authorities,
the carabinieri
At local, level, social
partners and NGOs play
an important role to
identify and support
with labour exploitation
and support.
Netherlands
The Inspectorate
SZW in the Ministry
of Social Affairs
analyses the risks
related to fair, safe
and healthy work
that are likely to
occur in different
target groups, and
pursues tactical and
operational risk
analysis based on
general trends of
criminality.
The police and state
border guard.
The Public Prosecution
Service
Poland
The National Labour
Inspectorate is
The National Labour
Inspectorate is
The Border Guard deal
with labour exploitation
85
Country
Authority
responsible for
undeclared work
Authority
responsible for
illegal employment
Authority
responsible for
labour exploitation
responsible for
compliance with
labour law (working
conditions, time,
health and safety,
etc.) and irregular
employment.
responsible for
compliance with labour
law (working
conditions, time,
health and safety,
etc.) and irregular
employment.
of third country
nationals
Spain
Inspectors from the
Ministry of Labour
and Social Security
work with the
Ministry of Interior
Police
Police
Sweden
The Swedish Tax
Agency focuses on
undeclared
employment,
undeclared income or
tax avoidance.
The Swedish Work
Environment
Authority checks
working conditions
(illegal employment
not a priority but
they inform police).
The Migration Agency
approves workers and
employment.
The Tax Agency, the
police and the public
employment service
The police is involved in
cases of criminal
activities, labour
exploitation.
Gender Equality Agency
Adapted from EMN (2017) and OECD (2020).
86
ANNEX 5: LIST OF PROMISING PRACTICES PRESENTED IN THE
REPORT
Name of practice
Belgium
Point of contact for fair competition
Finland
Inspection unit for foreign labour
Germany
Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit fraud
Netherlands
Programme for investigating labour exploitation
Poland
Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers
Sweden
Regional Agency Collaboration (RAC)
87
Point of contact for fair competition (Meldpunt voor
een Eerlijke Concurrentie/Point de contact pour une
concurrence loyale), Belgium
The Social Information and Investigation Service of the FPS
has created a national contact point for complaints about
unfair competition, social dumping, labour conditions,
undeclared work and benefit fraud. Anonymity and
confidentiality of the complaint are guaranteed and may
lead to inspections. Cooperation with social partners is
important in the work of the contact point.
Name(s) of
authorities/bodies/
organisations involved
Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social
Dialogue (FPS).
Useful sources and
websites
https://www.meldpuntsocialefraude.belgie.be/en/index.ht
ml
Years of
implementation
The point of contact for fair competition was launched on 5
October 2015.
Sectors
Affected sectors generally entail low-skilled work and low
wages in non-public sectors, such as: construction,
transportation, wholesale, retail, cleaning, etc.
Target groups
General public, including regularly staying third-country
nationals who work in Belgium, social partners, towns/cities
and social welfare centres.
Purpose of measure
Deterrence: improve detection
Background context
Before the Point of Contact was set up, complaints were
received throughout different services. Given their different
competences, it was not always clear to the worker which
service should receive a complaint.
The quality of the complaint was often inadequate.
Individuals did not always know what information the
inspectorates needed to start an investigation.
Key objectives of the
measure
The point of contact provides a central point for individuals,
companies and organisations to file a report in cases of
social fraud.
Unless explicit consent is given, it guarantees full anonymity
of the person/entity filing the complaint
Social partners can also file a complaint and are important
partners in the investigation and follow-up of cases.
Main activities
The point of contact for fair competition allows individuals,
companies or social partners to file a report about suspected
cases of social fraud, including undeclared work and labour
exploitation. This is done via tailored online forms, with
specific questions in understandable language. In this way,
88
workers are encouraged to provide relevant information.
Those filing a complaint must provide their full name,
national registration number and email address, allowing the
contact point to follow-up with the individual filing the
complaint in case further information or clarification is
needed. When a complaint is issued, the contact point first
assures the individual that full anonymity is guaranteed
(Article 59 of the Social Penal Code), even in court, and that
they are not authorised to inform an employer or their
representative that an investigation has been triggered.
However, in some cases, action can only be taken when the
anonymity is lifted.
While individuals without a national registration number
cannot file an official complaint through the contact point,
they can request information about their rights or ask the
labour inspectorate via a specific email address to intervene
in order to enforce these rights. This is done directly by the
individuals or via NGOs, such as the FairWork Foundation.
An investigation requires a contact person, unless it is
possible to make a de visu determination of the
employment.
39
For normal wage violations, the complainant
can digitally sign an exemption from professional secrecy.
The back office analyses the complaints and distributes
them between the competent services. For the inspection
services, the contact point provides an initial filter and
quality check. If information related to the case is missing –
preventing proper investigation – the regional directorate of
the labour inspectorate is asked to provide additional
information on the company in question and to carry out a
risk analysis, often within the provincial control cells.
In all cases of irregular stay and work, the FPS informs the
police, which is competent to contact the immigration
service deciding on the residence status. If there are
sufficient indications of human trafficking by economic
exploitation, this is shared with the immigration service,
which provides provisional residence in a shelter.
Funding/organisationa
l resources
Funding and resources for the contact point is provided by
the FPS.
An annual recurring amount of EUR 100 000 is made
available for ICT-related adaptations (e.g. recently, a new
form for infringements concerning coronavirus measures),
maintenance or supporting applications.
The current team consists of a team leader and four social
inspectors.
Outputs, outcomes and
lessons learned
NGOs and social partners play a key role in bringing forward
cases of third-country nationals in undeclared work or
subject to exploitation.
39
Employment is determined on site. Such de visu findings have particular value as evidence (conclusive force
until proven otherwise).
89
In terms of outcomes for third-country nationals, as a result
of inspections carried out on the basis of complaints lodged
with the contact point, employers have been obliged to pay
three months’ wages (among other things). A refutable legal
presumption that they worked three months was introduced,
as it is generally very difficult to prove the working
relationship and its duration. Where there is insufficient
information to oblige the employer to pay the outstanding
wage(s), the FPS draws up a criminal report for the public
prosecutor. A criminal report is also filed for illegal work. The
argument that paying the wages might influence the
outcome of that penal procedure sometimes prompts
payment of the wages owed.
Recommendations
(based on input by the
interviewee)
At national level:
Strengthen the back office with more inspectors;
Provide rapid response teams of inspectors to
respond quickly to urgent complaints within the
different regions;
Grow into a service where all complaints to services,
organisations, etc. are collected and distributed;
Allocate a status to complaints whereby the services
are obliged to deal with the complaints within a
predefined period of time.
At EU level:
Development of a European point of contact, e.g. for
cross-border fraud reported by local citizens and
businesses. Closer cooperation with foreign
inspectorates, while respecting guaranteed
professional secrecy.
90
Inspection unit for foreign labour (including EU and
third-country nationals), Finland
The foreign labour inspection unit within the Regional State
Administrative Agency for Southern Finland/Division of
Occupational Health and Safety aims to prevent undeclared
work and labour exploitation of foreign labour, including
third-country nationals. The main tool are inspections, which
have uncovered issues predominantly in three sectors:
construction, restaurant and cleaning. Specifically within the
group of third-country nationals, since 2017 the unit has
encountered more asylum seekers engaging in undeclared
work.
Name(s) of
authorities/bodies/
organisations involved
Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern
Finland/Division of Occupational Health and Safety;
Finnish Immigration Service;
Finnish Centre for Pensions;
Finnish Workers’ Compensation Centre;
Employment Fund;
Tax administration;
Police; and
Public Employment Service.
Useful sources and
websites
https://www.vero.fi/en/grey-economy-crime/
Years of
implementation
2005-ongoing
Sectors:
Generally all sectors, but focus on three sectors most
affected: construction, HORECA, cleaning/maintenance.
Target groups
The unit itself does not focus only on third-country nationals
but on all foreign nationals in Finland, including EU nationals.
Purpose of measure
Deterrence: improve detection
Background context
The special unit for foreign labour was introduced following
the 2004 EU enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe.
Politicians changed labour law to create a new unit within the
Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern
Finland/Division of Occupational Health and Safety.
The unit commenced work in spring 2005, with around nine
designated posts for foreign labour inspectors in separate
parts of Finland, which subsequently developed into more
posts for certain regions. While the inspectors do not need to
have specific language skills, some speak certain foreign
languages, e.g. Estonian or Russian.
The unit deals with employment of third-country nationals
with no right to work, and to a lesser extent with
underpayment and underreporting of working hours, as well
91
as fraudulent posting. Employment of third-country nationals
with no right to work is prevalent in the construction sector.
Key objectives of the
measure
The key objective of this measure is to prevent undeclared
work and labour exploitation of foreign labour.
Main activities
The main activities include inspections on-site, i.e. at
employers’ premises. The approach is as follows:
Labour inspectors receive tips from other authorities, such as
the Finnish Immigration Services, which redirects suspicious
permit applications. The Public Employment Service redirects
cases when permit applications are contradictory or
otherwise suspicious. There are good practices in respect of
cooperation between the tax administration, the police and
border guards, who share inspection reports on a case-by-
case basis, i.e. while frequent, it is not structurally
embedded.
The inspectors then follow up directly with the employer. If
an issue is found, the employer is informed and given
guidance on how to remedy the issue. Some issues, such as
underpayment, are not a criminal act in Finland, meaning
that inspectors can only issue guidance. In other cases, e.g.
when inspectors suspect extortion or other discrimination
activities, a police investigation is launched. In cases of
possible human trafficking, the potential victims are
redirected towards the appropriate support system. Such
cases are rare, however, and the inspectors mainly issue
guidance letters to employers.
Funding/organisational
resources
In southern Finland, there are 12 inspectors focusing on
foreign labour.
The financial resources are provided by the Ministry of Social
Affairs and Health, based on the number of inspections
conducted per year. Additional resources include overtime
pay for inspections carried out outside of regular working
hours and funds for travel.
Technical resources include data-sharing tools.
Outputs, outcomes and
lessons learned
In general, the issues of undeclared work are very common.
In 2019, the unit conducted over 840 inspections in southern
Finland, more than 440 of which related to undeclared work.
Official statistics are available mainly for 2018 and show that
over 1 000 inspections were carried out: 38 % in HORECA;
21 % in construction; 11 % in cleaning; and the remaining
30 % in a variety of sectors.
The results are positive, as the inspection team goes to sites
where issues have been reported and uncovers undeclared
work. Cooperation between the authorities allows information
to be shared. There are established joint inspections with the
tax authorities and the pension centre at construction sites,
and results identify further inspection areas. However, a
multi-authority approach (where authorities work together
from the beginning of a case) could save time and resources.
In Finland, cooperation is often in silos, meaning that all
92
authorities launch their respective investigations separately
and exchange information, where a joint approach would
potentially save double work and create more synergies.
If underpayments are discovered, the issued guidance is not
legally binding. Without legal measures, there is little
incentive for companies to comply. One way is to put more
public pressure by making inspection reports available online
– this is currently under discussion.
Recommendations
(based on input by the
interviewee)
Nationally, a multi-authority approach would be
beneficial. The current cooperation is very good at
local level but is heavily reliant on personal contacts
and should be structurally embedded through a holistic
approach under an umbrella authority at the national
level.
At EU level, there could be a regional network of
information exchange facilitated by the EU, not only
bilateral agreements (e.g. with Estonia). EU projects
that foster cooperation might be a good avenue, as
these enable the right people to meet, especially for
regions with little funding for such measures. Overall
the EU can facilitate partnerships but the nationally
responsible bodies need to be open to such
cooperation.
93
Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit fraud
(Gesetz gegen illegale Beschäftigung und
Sozialleistungsmissbrauch), Germany
The 2019 ‘Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit
fraud’ provides new responsibilities and increased resources
to the German unit for monitoring undeclared work, the FKS.
Several measures aim to address undeclared work, illegal
employment and the misuse of government benefits more
consistently and effectively. It therefore seeks to better
protect employees from minimum wage and social security
violation and against labour exploitation in general.
While the legislation targets national workers, EU citizens and
third-country nationals, it provides the FKS with new
investigate powers that can prevent recruitment practices
that are often used before third-country nationals work
undeclared, often under exploitive working conditions. For
example, the FKS investigates recruitment in public ‘pick up
spots’, reviews online and print recruitment and checks
suitable accommodation agreed in a collective agreement
(e.g. in the construction sector) by entering housing to
inspect its suitability.
Name(s) of
authorities/bodies/
organisations involved
Under the ‘Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit
fraud’ (Schwarzarbeitsbekämpfungsgesetz), the FKS of the
German customs administration inspects and investigates
compliance with labour, tax and social security law, as well as
with migration law, in close cooperation with other authorities
and social partners at national and international level.
Useful sources and
websites
www.zoll.de
www.bundesfinanzministerium.de
www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de
www.knappschaft.de
www.minijob-zentrale.de
www.arbeitsagentur.de
www.bmas.de
Years of
implementation
2019-ongoing
Sectors
Illegal employment and undeclared work of third-country
nationals coincide in labour-intensive sectors with a high
fluctuation of personnel and often flexible workplaces, such
as construction, HORECA, transport, industrial cleaning
businesses, domestic cleaning and care, agriculture and the
meat industry (EMN, 2017) In addition, undeclared work and
illegal employment are prevalent in the private security
industry, another sector with changing workplaces and
demand for a flexible workforce.
94
Target groups
The ‘Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit fraud’
targets national workers, EU citizens and third-country
nationals. It regulates the competence of the FKS to address
exploitative working conditions and to investigate human
trafficking in connection with employment, forced labour and
labour exploitation. Third-country and EU Member State
nationals from Central and Eastern Europe are at particular
risk of labour exploitation (see below).
Purpose of measure
Deterrence: improve detection
Background context
In 2018, the German Institute for Human Rights observed
that an increasing number of third-country nationals and EU
citizens from Eastern Europe had reported cases of labour
exploitation. Complaints concerned wages below the
minimum wage, no social security contributions paid by
employers, long working hours and unpaid extra-time, as well
as poor quality accommodation.
Foreign nationals seeking work are often young. Women look
for employment in domestic services, while men seek work in
construction or transport or in other sectors requiring a
flexible workforce without high skill requirements (German
Institute for Human Rights, 2018) One recruitment method is
the use of ‘pick-up-spots’ in public places (such as roadsides),
where employers seek workers for a limited amount of time
in demanding, labour-intensive sectors, such as construction
sites or transport, often with wages below the minimum
wage. This type of work is mostly undeclared and very likely
to coincide with exploitative working conditions. Another
fraudulent scheme is bogus self-employment of natives, EU
citizens and regularly staying third-country nationals,
resulting in inadequate social security contributions.
In some cases of labour exploitation, employees who initially
took up work voluntarily are often unaware of working
conditions and the real nature of the work. Foreign nationals
can become very dependent on their employer, as the
employment is their only source of income and employers
arrange travel, accommodation (often resulting in
overcrowded, overpriced, poor quality housing arranged by
the employer, or even in homeless shelters) and
administrative procedures. In many cases, employers
withhold part of the workers’ wages, confiscate their identity
documents or threaten them.
Key objectives of the
measure
The legislation aims to better protect employees from
minimum wage and social security fraud and labour
exploitation in general, while ensuring fair competition. In
addition to tackling economic and organised crime (via the
use of fictitious invoices issued by bogus companies and
concealing undeclared work) and combating benefit fraud
more consistently and effectively, the act aims to ensure fair
working conditions. It also safeguards government revenue.
Ultimately, it ensures compliance with legislation and fairness
in the labour market.
95
Main activities
The new legislation gives the FKS responsibility for
inspections and investigations to tackle exploitative working
conditions and, together with the police, human trafficking, in
connection with employment, forced labour and labour
exploitation. In order to ensure fair working conditions, the
following changes were regulated in 2019:
The FKS is now able to intervene earlier, during the
recruitment stage. Before the legislative change, the FKS
could only intervene when workers were already on-site
(e.g. on construction sites), but it can now investigate or
inspect recruitment in public ‘pick up spots’. These ‘pick
up spots’ are identified via information by the public or
community support services. It also reviews online and
print recruitment in order to track job offers of undeclared
work more effectively. To do so, it can ask publishers for
the names and addresses of clients (who remain
unpublished) in cases where there are indicators of
undeclared work or illegal employment.
The FKS can check suitable accommodation agreed in a
collective agreement (e.g. in the construction sector) by
entering housing to inspect its suitability. A court order is
no longer required to enter accommodation for the
purposes of administrative inspections. It may only enter
with the consent of the residents, however, or without
their consent in the event of an urgent threat to public
security and order.
Certain sectors (e.g. construction, catering, transport)
require employees to carry ID cards and the immediate
registration of workers with the social insurance system
by employers. With the legislative change, such ID cards
are now required in the private security industry, as well
as stricter rules on documenting working hours. This
simplifies data evaluation after questioning workers
during inspections.
In order to address bogus self-employment, the FKS can
since 2019 request documents or information – either in
writing or in person – from suspected bogus self-
employed (previously, bogus self-employment could only
be investigated on-site). Employers profiting from bogus
self-employment can receive a fine of up to EUR 50 000.
The new legislation expands information-sharing and
cooperation between the authorities involved in detecting and
combating illegal employment, undeclared work and benefit
fraud. For example, there is intensified cooperation and data-
sharing between the FKS and the police. The FKS can access
databases from employment services, tax authorities and
pension providers. In turn, data from the FKS can now be
shared with family benefit agencies and social assistance
providers, while FKS forwards data to the police in order to
prevent and prosecute crimes and administrative offences.
Other types of cooperation are also regulated, such as
support services for labour exploitation victims.
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Funding/organisationa
l resources
The FKS has around 7 000 employees who work for 41 main
customs offices at 115 locations around the country. The
current financial plan earmarks FKS staffing increases to over
10 000 by 2026. Additional staff will be needed to perform
the new functions introduced by the legislation, i.e. roughly
3 500 new positions in the FKS and 900 positions in
supporting customs administration units (e.g. education and
training, pre-deployment training, IT, and deployment
support).
Outputs, outcomes and
lessons learned
As of April 2020, it is too early to report any outcomes of the
2019 ‘Act to combat unlawful employment and benefit fraud’.
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Programme for investigating labour exploitation
(Programma Arbeidsuitbuiting), the Netherlands
In the ‘Programme for investigating labour exploitation’, the
Dutch Inspectorate (SZW) deploys a mix of tools to tackle
labour exploitation of third-country nationals. Quick
treatment of notifications, combined with targeted risk
analysis, specialised joint inspections, and cooperation with
partners aim to prevent impunity of employers and support
victims of labour exploitation.
Name(s) of
authorities/bodies/
organisations involved
The Inspectorate SZW, in collaboration with:
Police;
Municipalities
The Anti-Trafficking Coordination Centre (Comensha)
Institute for Employee Benefit Schemes
(Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen,
UWV); and
Expertise Centre on smuggling and trafficking
(Expertise Centrum Mensenhandel en Mensensmokkel,
EMM), which provides research and advice to detect
smuggling and trafficking.
Years of
implementation
2016-ongoing.
Sectors
Although labour exploitation can be found in many sectors,
risk sectors are horticulture, cleaning, temporary
employment agencies, the hospitality industry and building
industry (EMN, 2017). A high number of temporary work
agencies are active in agriculture, the meat industry,
construction, the cleaning industry and transport, which
often facilitate illegal employment, undeclared or
underdeclared work and bogus self-employment, while
simultaneously deducting fees from workers.
40
Target groups
Third-country nationals, EU citizens and nationals who are,
or are at risk of becoming, victims of labour exploitation and
malpractices.
Purpose of measure
Deterrence: improve detection
Background context
Third-country nationals and EU citizens are often directly
recruited via temporary work agencies or other mediators
in their native country or in another country where they
reside. These companies then facilitate travel,
administrative tasks to enter the country, transport,
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housing and work placement, which increases the
dependency of workers on their employers.
In addition to the supervision of working conditions and the
minimum wage, the Inspectorate SZW monitors the Foreign
Nationals Employment Act, which requires a valid work
authorisation for the employment of third-country
nationals, with employers obliged to register foreign
employees. The inspectorate also leads the detection of
fraud and labour exploitation.
Various programmes tackle fraudulent temporary work
agencies, such as the 'Programmed approach to rogue
employment agencies' targeting them and the companies
that hire them, in a joint approach with the tax authority
and UWV, and the 'Action plan to combat bogus schemes',
tackling schemes that facilitate fraudulent admission to the
Dutch labour market, although the foreign worker does not
meet the conditions (EMN, 2017).
Key objectives of the
measure
The Programme for investigating labour exploitation aims to
combat labour exploitation and malpractices of employers,
via inspection and law enforcement. It ensures effective
protection of potential victims and vulnerable groups,
focusing on preventing impunity of fraudulent employers.
Main activities
The programme uses a set of indicators to recognise labour
exploitation: isolation of employees; long working days;
underpayment; poor housing; and dependency (e.g. shown
via threats and violence). Two indicators discovered during
other inspections suffice to transfer the case to the
programme.
Employees, NGOs or the public can also file a complaint of
suspected exploitation with the Inspectorate SZW
(anonymous complaints are investigated if there is a
plausible serious threat to the employees or if minimum
wage and/or minimum leave violations can be evidenced).
The Inspectorate SZW works with different partners in
intervention teams, e.g. the police, the UDW, municipalities
and/or the tax and customs administration. Those teams
inspect aspects like underpayment, working to many hours
per day, illegal employment and undeclared work.
Employers face fines of EUR 8 000 for each employee
without a valid permit. Sanctions increase in the case of
multiple violations.
In cases of labour exploitation, trust is established during
inspections via conversations with the worker alone (not in
front of the employer or colleagues), explaining that the
inspection focuses mainly on the employer, encouraging
them to report later, and providing contact details.
After an inspection, victims of labour exploitation receive
legal advice and support services.
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Funding/organisational
resources
The team consists of 30 trained inspectors who are
specialised in detecting detect labour exploitation and
building trust during conversations.
Outputs, outcomes and
lessons learned
The ‘Programme for investigating labour exploitation’ has
identified labour exploitation successfully via building up
trust with workers.
Almost all third-country nationals who were victims of
labour exploitation and interviewed in FRA research felt they
had been treated well by the police or labour inspectorate
during inspections that involved the ‘Programme for
investigating labour exploitation’ (FRA, 2018). They felt
informed about their rights, as well as about the aim of the
inspection, they were encouraged to report abuse and were
advised about the next steps after the inspection. In some
cases, the police or labour inspectors provided an
opportunity for the workers to get their belongings or they
were referred to support organisations.
Recommendations
(based on input by the
interviewee)
Third-country nationals come to the Netherlands often via
another EU country, thus exchange of information between
countries is important.
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Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers, Poland
The Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers combats undeclared
work and labour exploitation of Ukrainian workers on the
Polish labour market through advocacy activity, awareness-
raising and legal support.
Title of the practice in
original language
Inter-Enterprise Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers in Poland
(Międzyzakładowy Związek Zawodowy Pracowników
Ukraińskich w Polsce)
Country
Poland
Name(s) of
authorities/bodies/
organisations involved
Inter-Enterprise Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers in Poland
(Międzyzakładowy Związek Zawodowy Pracowników
Ukraińskich w Polsce)
All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions (Ogólnopolskie
Porozumienie Związków Zawodowych, OPZZ)
Useful sources and
websites
Website of Inter-Enterprise Trade Union of Ukrainian
Workers:
https://ukrpol-union.com/ (available in Ukrainian)
Years of
implementation
May 2016–ongoing
Sectors
All
Target groups
The primary target group are Ukrainian nationals with the
right to stay and work in Poland, including those engaged in
undeclared work. Legal counselling is provided to all
Ukrainian workers, regardless of their union membership.
The union is open to cooperation and support for other
migrant workers in Poland – Russians, Belarusians and
Moldovans (EMN, n.d.).
Through its advocacy and awareness-raising activity, the
union engages with local, regional and national public bodies
(e.g. PES, National Labour Inspectorate (NLI)) and the
government).
The union cooperates with relevant NGOs to address cases
of human trafficking.
Purpose of measure
Changing attitudes: awareness raising
Background context
Ukrainians have been prominent in the Polish labour market
since the 1990s. More Ukrainians came to work in Poland as
a result of the 2014 Russian-Ukrainian War in the Donbas,
which saw deteriorating economic and labour prospects in
Ukraine.
In 2017, there were around 900 000 Ukrainians in Poland
(Chmielewska et al., 2018). This stemmed from two
additional factors:
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A bilateral agreement allowing Ukrainians to work in Poland
for 30 days without a work permit; and
A simple procedure, the ‘Declaration of intent to employ
foreigners’ (Oświadczenia o zamiarze powierzenia
wykonywania pracy cudzoziemcowi), allowing Polish
companies to employ citizens of the EU Eastern Partnership
countries (Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and
Russia) for up to six months in a 12-month period without a
work permit. In 2017, public employment services received
1 714 891 such declarations to employ Ukrainian workers
(NLI 2018). Most workers employed via this declaration
work in agriculture, construction, manufacturing and hotel-
restaurant-catering (so-called ‘HORECA’).
In inspections carried out in 2017, the NLI noted
deteriorating compliance with the law regulating working
conditions and pay of foreigners. The following types of
irregularities were recorded: employment without work or
residence permits, work in poor conditions, unpaid overtime,
failure to report foreign workers to social insurance,
irregularities in the scope of declared information on the
amount of remuneration paid affecting the contribution rate
and untimely payment of contributions to the Labour Fund.
Cases of labour exploitation reported in the media and to
the trade union related to overpriced accommodation
changes, failure to provide medical assistance at the
workplace and fraudulent recruitment agencies (charging
fees for work permits and not providing them).
Responding to Ukrainian workers’ low awareness of labour
law, their rights and the benefits of legal employment, the
OPZZ, in collaboration with a major Ukrainian trade union,
helped to set up a trade union to represent and defend the
rights of Ukrainian workers in Poland. The OPZZ was inspired
by similar initiatives taken for Polish workers by the UK and
Swiss trade unions after Poland's accession to the EU in
2004. Through its activity, the Trade Union of Ukrainian
Workers helps to tackle undeclared work, social dumping
and prevalent labour exploitation.
Key objectives of the
measure
According to its statute, the trade union’s aim is to protect
the dignity, rights and interests (material, professional,
social and cultural) associated with carrying out paid work.
Among its subsidiary aims is protection of the dignity, rights
and material, professional, social and civic rights of its
members and representation of the union’s position to
employers, public administration, political, professional and
social organisations.
Main activities
The trade union participates in social dialogue with the
government and advocates on behalf on Ukrainian workers.
For example, in 2017 the union called on the government to
provide amnesty for those working illegally in Poland
(European Commission, 2017b). Following COVID-19
outbreak the union, called on Polish and Ukrainian
governments to organise safe evacuation of workers who
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lost their jobs due to the pandemic and the ensuing
obligatory quarantine period.
By organising and participating in conferences, the union
raises awareness within the public administration and
society of the problems faced by migrant workers on the
Polish labour market.
As the union cannot afford to handle lawsuits on behalf of
migrant workers, it provides legal advice and, on occasion,
mediation with employers. Cases handled related to lack
of/delayed payment for work already undertaken, violence
or harassment in the workplace, and undeclared work.
Funding/organisationa
l resources
Until it becomes self-sufficient, all activities of the Trade
Union of Ukrainian Workers are financed by the OPZZ.
Despite this financial dependence, it has autonomous
management and independence in terms of developing its
programme.
Most of its activities (including legal support) are
concentrated around Warsaw. In the longer term, OPZZ
would like to increase the number of Ukrainian workers
represented in the regional branches of OPZZ.
The officer providing legal support for migrant workers
cooperates with La Strada, an NGO focusing on human
trafficking. On occasion, the union for Ukrainian workers
also cooperates with the PES and NLI in Poland.
Outputs, outcomes and
lessons learned
In early 2019, the Trade Union for Ukrainian Workers
reported over 1 000 members (MPUPP, n.d.).
It is involved in advocacy work and consults the government
on important issues for migrant workers.
Due to lack of funding, the legal support is provided on a
small scale and only in the Warsaw district. Nevertheless,
such support is provided to all migrant workers, regardless
of their union membership.
The number of complaints by foreign workers to the NLI
tripled between 2016-2017, reaching 1 473 in 2017 (PLI,
2018). Between 2016 and 2018, the number of Ukrainian
workers reported to national insurance doubled, to 425 670
(ZUS, 2019). Union and NLI activities contributed to
increased awareness of their rights among Ukrainian
workers.
In 2019, the Commissioner for Human Rights nominated
Jurij Kariagin (Chair of the Trade Union of Ukrainian
Workers) for the award of NLI. The award is granted for
outstanding achievements in the field of supervision and
control of compliance with labour law and prevention of
occupational hazards. In their nomination, the
Commissioner for Human Rights argued that Jurij Kariagin’s
activity significantly reduced the scale of violations of law
with respect to the legality of employment of Ukrainian
citizens in Poland.
The success of the Trade Union for Ukrainian Workers is its
autonomy from OPZZ and independence in developing its
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programme. This empowers migrant workers and allows
them to focus on issues pertinent to them.
With limited financial resources, the union builds on
cooperation with NGOs and the media to provide support in
the most extreme cases of exploitation and expose
companies that offer poor working conditions for migrant
workers.
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Regional Agency Collaboration (RAC), Sweden
The RAC in Sweden combines the efforts of several agencies
to tackle irregularities at the workplace, with particular
attention to third-country nationals.
Name(s) of
authorities/bodies/
organisations involved
The Swedish government commissioned multiple authorities
to establish the RAC in the five regions of the Swedish Work
Environment Authority. The Swedish Work Environment
Authority coordinates the collaboration and reports to the
government.
In addition to the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, the
police and the Swedish Work Environment Authority, the
RAC includes the Swedish Gender Equality Agency, the
Swedish Migration Agency, the Swedish Tax Agency, the
PES and the Social Insurance Agency.
The Swedish Migration Agency issues residence and work
permits and – together with the police – checks
infringements of illegal employment.
The Swedish Gender Equality Authority was set up in 2017.
In the context of the RAC, it has been tasked with
monitoring and tackling new legislation on human
exploitation, including human trafficking and labour
exploitation among third-country nationals.
Useful sources and
websites
https://www.government.se/government-policy/migration-
and-asylum/
https://www.migrationsverket.se/
https://www.av.se/en/
https://www.av.se/arbetsmiljoarbete-och-
inspektioner/inspektioner-utredningar-och-
kontroller/myndighetsgemensamma-kontroller/
https://www.jamstalldhetsmyndigheten.se/en
Years of
implementation
2017-ongoing
Sectors:
Five sectors are prioritised (Swedish Work Environment
Authority, 2020)
Labour-intensive sectors, such as construction, cleaning,
agriculture and restaurants, transport;
Sectors where payments are often made in cash, such as
restaurants, beauty salons and vehicle workshops;
Domestic services;
Gig economy.
Target groups
Third-country nationals
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Purpose of measure
Deterrence: improve detectionDeterrence: improve
detection
Background context
In 2017, the Swedish government commissioned the RAC
to pilot a cooperation project from 2018 to 2020. At the
time, the authorities had detected an increasing number of
cases of undeclared work and labour exploitation of third-
country nationals.
Key objectives of the
measure
The RAC aims to develop suitable and effective methods for
cross-agency data exchange, indicators and inspections to
combat fraud, violations and crime in working life. A
particular focus point is the employment of third-country
nationals.
Main activities
The partner authorities monitor possible infringements that
fall under their mandate.
The Swedish Migration Agency, which issues residence and
work permits, shares intelligence with the other authorities
so that they can plan inspections. They check certain permit
applications in high-risk areas and newly established
businesses in labour-intensive sectors. The Agency assesses
an employer’s ability to pay wages, if previous permit
applications have been denied, or if the employer has an
unregistered phone number/PO Box address. It conducts
more in-depth checks (regardless of the industry) if the
employment offer has not been signed by an authorised
representative, if the corporate tax certificate has been
revoked, or if they received a large amount of money
immediately before. The Agency also checks permit
extension applications.
Police participation in inspections is often a prerequisite in
suspected cases of illegal employment and labour
exploitation. Officers gain access to the inspection location,
provide order and security for the participating agencies,
and check work and residence permits. The Swedish Gender
Equality Agency and Swedish trade unions provide
assistance to the third-country nationals. The Swedish
Gender Equality Agency uses risk indicators to assess the
presence of human trafficking and human exploitation. If it
finds victims of labour exploitation or trafficking, it supports
them when reporting to the police (victims are provided a
30-day ‘reflection period’). During this period they can
decide if they would like to avail of six months’ temporary
residence, in which case they need to state they were
victims of human trafficking or labour exploitation and agree
to cooperate with the police.
Several joint inspections took place in 2019 in beauty
salons, construction sites and restaurants. The agencies
participated in Europol-led inspections of nail bars,
discovering one case of human exploitation, breaches of
working conditions and under-reporting of tax. Targeted
cross-agency inspections were also carried out in 75
construction sites, uncovering undeclared income,
fraudulent posting and illegal employment of foreign
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construction workers. Inspections of over 200 restaurants
found 21 illegal workers, often with salaries far below the
statutory wage.
RAC activities were further developed during conferences
and workshops, involving the social partners.
Funding/organisational
resources
The RAC consists of five regional committees and joint
supervisory teams from different authorities, coordinated
by a national steering group. The RAC relies chiefly on the
budgets of the participating agencies, as well as additional
government funding. However, there are resource issues, in
particular for the police in taking part in inspections, as well
as staffing issues (RAC status report, 2019).
Outputs, outcomes and
lessons learned
The RAC established a joint reporting system in 2019, listing
all measures from the respective agencies, showing more
than 2 000 inspected companies, control and sanction fees
totalling SEK 10 000 000 (EUR 944 367) and 250
immediate business closures.
In addition, the agencies shared information on suspected
cases over 100 times, increasing targeted inspections of
industries and workplaces. However, personal data
protection rules and other secrecy rules presented barriers
to effective cooperation in some cases.
