Tag: labor migration

How EU Funding Fuels Agricultural Labor Migration & Training in Europe

As agriculture continues to rely on migrant labor, the European Union has stepped up with funding initiatives that aim to streamline legal migration, enhance skills, and improve integration. These programs target seasonal and long-term workers a like making transitions smoother and agriculture more sustainable.

The EU’s Funding Ecosystem

Several EU instruments power these initiatives:

  • Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) has a budget of approximately €9.9 billion for 2021‑2027. It supports legal migration, integration services, and local-level projects.
  • European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), with nearly €95.8 billion, invests in people — skills development, employment access, and training for migrants.
  • European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) finances rural job creation and training in agriculture.
  • Talent Partnerships, backed by NDICI‑Global Europe and AMIF, connect EU and partner countries like Morocco, Tunisia, and Pakistan to support training mobility.

Example Projects & Regional Action

1. Integration Centres in Poland (AMIF funded).

The EU is funding 49 “integration centres” across Poland. Managed with regional authorities and NGOs, these hubs offer standardized orientation, Polish classes, legal advice, and registration aid. They’re part of a migration strategy planned from 2025 to 2030.

2. Digital Skills Training Grants.

Under AMIF’s 2025 call, grants of €1M–€2M support migrant access to digital and vocational training. Emphasis is placed on women, those unfamiliar with digital tools, and people with disabilities.

3. EURES and Labour Mobility.

The EURES network connects seasonal agricultural employers in one EU region with jobseekers from others. It helps with cross-border placements, orientation, travel support, and language training.

4. Local Training via ESF+.

Regional ESF+ grants fund vocational training partnerships pairing farmers and local VET institutions to upskill migrant workers in machinery use, crop care, and safety standards.

5. Pilot Talent Partnerships.

Projects under EU‑Africa or EU‑Asia Talent Partnerships include agricultural exchange programs: trainees from partner countries spend agricultural seasons in Europe before returning to apply best practices back home.

The Impact on the Ground.

  • AMIF and ESF+ have supported hundreds of local projects across Eastern Europe serving agricultural migrants. Some Polish regions report over 10,000 migrants annually attending orientation and training sessions before harvest.
  • Grant recipients often include NGOs and social enterprises focusing on multilingual safety training, legal rights, and language access.
  • EURES seasonal mobilities surpassed 50,000 placements in 2024, linking farms across borders and offering shared training modules.

Perspectives from Jon Purizhansky, CEO of Joblio, on holistic support:“Few workers succeed if they arrive with a visa but no orientation. EU funding that combines training, legal guidance, and language prepares themand employersto collaborate effectively.”

“Supporting training for agriculture today creates a workforce that can pivot across sectors. With climate variability and supply shocks, adaptability through reskilling becomes a strength,” addsJon Purizhansky.

What Lies Ahead?

  • Institutions are planning to funnel 100% EU co-financing for dedicated integration axes through FAST-CARE measures, reducing delays and financial bottlenecks.
  • ESF+ reforms now allow member states greater flexibility to deploy funds in rural regions or strategic sectors where agriculture needs resilience.
  • The proposed EU Talent Pool will create a common recruitment platform for shortage occupations, including agricultural trades, simplifying mobility from outside the EU.
  • Ongoing training programs under Erasmus+ and Inter reg encourage cross-border learning, peer mentoring, and shared VET innovation in rural areas.

“Talent Partnerships aligned with agricultural sectors give migrants and their home countries mutual advantage, skills export and circular mobility become part of a shared success model,” says Jon Purizhansky.

EU funding offers more than financial support, it enables cooperative frameworks where migrant workers can integrate, learn, and thrive in agriculture across Europe. Thanks to AMIF, ESF+, EURES, and Talent Partnerships, many workers today receive preparation before departure and gain skills upon arrival.

Jon Purizhansky envisions these tools as transformative: “When someone arrives in Europe for seasonal agricultural work with a verified skill set, language basics, rights knowledge, and a clear work permit. That’s integration in action.”

Streamlining Labor Migration to Japan: A Historical Perspective and a Modern Solution

Japan has a long history of labor immigration, dating back to the late 19th century. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that the country officially opened its doors to foreign workers. The Japanese government introduced the “Trainee and Skilled Worker” program, allowing companies to hire foreign workers in specific fields. In 2019, the government further relaxed regulations, creating the “Specified Skilled Worker” visa category to attract more foreign talent.

Despite these efforts, Japan’s labor migration process remains complex and inefficient. Bureaucratic red tape, language barriers, and cultural differences often hinder the recruitment process. This is where Joblio comes in — a revolutionary recruitment platform designed to streamline labor migration to Japan.

“Japan’s unique culture and work environment require a tailored approach to labor migration. Our ACE program is designed to bridge the cultural gap, ensuring a successful transition for foreign workers,” says Jon Purizhansky, Joblio’s founder.

Joblio’s ACE (Applicant Concierge Experience ) program provides comprehensive support for foreign workers, including cultural orientation, language training, and job placement. This support enables international talent to seamlessly integrate into Japan’s work culture, ensuring a successful transition.

“At Joblio, we understand the importance of cultural assimilation in Japan. Our ACE program provides comprehensive support, enabling international talent to thrive in Japan’s distinctive work culture,” Purizhansky emphasizes.

By providing this support, Joblio’s ACE program reduces the complexity and costs associated with traditional recruitment methods. Japanese companies can access a global talent pool, while foreign workers can navigate the recruitment process with ease.

“Our goal is to make labor migration to Japan seamless and efficient. With ACE, we’re revolutionizing the recruitment process, connecting Japanese employers with qualified foreign workers while ensuring a smooth transition for all parties involved,” Jon Purizhansky concludes.

With Joblio’s ACE program, Japan’s labor migration process is poised to become more efficient, streamlined, and culturally sensitive.

Originally Posted: https://medium.com/jon-purizhansky/streamlining-labor-migration-to-japan-a-historical-perspective-and-a-modern-solution-f79bf574cfa9

Founder and CEO of Joblio.co

Founder and CEO of Joblio.co Jon Purizhansky points out that according to Human Rights Watch, An Italian program to provide undocumented migrants with a pathway to residency adopted amid the Covid-19 pandemic did not live up to its promise.

The Italian government struggled for years with the problem of undocumented migrants. At the same time, there is dire need for staff within the industries of agriculture and healthcare in Italy. Jon Purizhansky accents that the program created two pathways for undocumented migrants to acquire a temporary residency permit.

An employer sponsorship option limited to the agricultural sector, including livestock and fisheries, and the home care sectors, including care for people in their home and domestic work. It was available to people already employed irregularly – or with someone willing to hire them in these sectors – and who could prove they were in Italy before March 8. The other was a jobseeker permit available to people who became undocumented on or after October 31, 2019 and could prove that they were previously employed in agriculture or home care.

However, Italian employers are experiencing shortages of staff all across all the industries and not just the agriculture and the healthcare sectors. Despite the severity of the labor shortages, undocumented workers in construction, hospitality, and logistics, for example, were unable to apply for the program. The program also created an opportunity for fraud and further exploitation of vulnerable migrants, with reports of fictitious labor contracts being sold for up to €7,000.

Clearly, Italy requires an innovative approach that will bring transparency, compliance and efficiency into the industry of labor migration.

A global technology powered social impact project, Joblio directly connects employers who need staff with workers globally. Jon Purizhansky says that employers are able to post job opportunities that become visible to job applicants via join.joblio.co or a native Joblio app available on all Apple and Android devices. Most importantly, Joblio removes all middlemen who exist in the chain between employers and employees and, therefore, catalyzes the process of hiring and optimizes efficiency for both, the employers and the employees. Jon Purizhansky points out that transparency created by Joblio not only creates economic efficiencies, but also protects human rights.

It is for this reason that Joblio could become a real de-facto solution for the undocumented migrant crises in Italy. Jon Purizhansky says that Joblio invites everyone to join its global fight against the inequities and the unfairness that currently exist within the space of global labor migration.