Work opportunities in the agricultural sector

If you are currently looking for a job, you can try looking for opportunities in the agricultural sector for seasonal jobs (jobs for a defined period of time). Most of the workers who harvest fruit and vegetables in the fields in Italy usually come from other countries to work seasonal jobs. Due to the closure of borders for the Coronavirus emergency, these workers are not able to arrive in Italy at the moment. The government, agricultural agencies and farms are looking for ways to promote and encourage agricultural work. Coldiretti, the main Italian agricultural association, has created a platform to connect farms seeking labor with people looking for work as agricultural workers.

Where to look?

Job in country – Coldiretti

You can visit the Job in country platform. Here are some instructions:

• To use the platform the best way, you need to register on the “Registrazione Lavoratore” page. To register you will need to enter your name and surname, a username chosen by you, your telephone number and email address. You will receive most of the communication by email, so if you do not already have one, you should create an email account.

• You will also be able to enter your CV, so that farms looking for labor can view it and contact you if interested in your work experience.
• You can also actively search for vacancies on the “Cerco Lavoro” page. For a better search, you can enter the region where you want to find a job, and all offers in that area will appear.

Agrijob – Confagricoltura

Another platform for looking for work in the agricultural sector is  Agrijob, created by Confagricoltura. On Agrijob you can not see the job offers, but you can register on the “Sei un lavoratore” page. You will be contacted by the Confagricoltura office in your area if there are opportunities for you.

CIA – Agricoltori italiani

You can also register on the CIA-Agricoltori Italiani platform, by entering your personal data and some information regarding your experience in the agricultural sector on this page e and you will be contacted if there are job opportunities for you. Also, if you want to try to find more job opportunities in the agricultural sector in your region or area of residence, you can try this search on the internet: agricultural work + name of your region or city, for example agricultural work Toscana (Tuscany) or agricultural work Arezzo. Remember that some companies are looking for agricultural workers with experience in the agricultural sector, but other companies are not. So, you can try applying even if you have never worked in the agricultural sector before.

Importante

Only people who already have a residence permit can find work through these platforms. You will not be able to find jobs, through these platforms, that will allow you to obtain a residence permit.

Legal work

The opportunities you find on these platforms and on job sites are for legal work, and not illegal. If you are offered a job without any contract or if the conditions of the contract are not respected by your employer, contact a union or association that helps workers. They could be able to help you. Here are some links for trade unions that you can contact: FLAI- CGIL: The Federazioni Lavori Agroindustria (FLAI) is the category within the larger CGIL which specifically works to defend the rights of workers in the agricultural and industrial sector. On this page you can find the contacts to communicate with FLAI. CISL: is a large union that defends workers’ rights. On this page you can find CISL offices in your region and city. UILA: Unione Italiana Lavoratori Agroalimentari is the Italian union of Agri-Food workers. It is part of the UIL union, which deals with workers in the agricultural and food sector. You can find the nearest office to you on this page. Progetto Diritti onlus: is an association that offers legal services. The branches are located in Lazio in Rome, Terracina, Ostia and in Sicilia (Catania and Licata). You can also call the following phone numbers: Anti-trafficking and Labor Exploitation helpline: 800 290 290 (Lycamobile –  3427754946) It’s the free number that the government has created for all people who need help with of illegal work or exploitation. Arci toll free number: 800905570 ( Lycamobile – 351 1376335) It’s the free number that Arci has created for refugees and asylum seekers to help them solve legal problems or to get information on rights and duties and how Italian refugee laws work.