The current thesis deals with the agricultural and domestic employment of migrants in Greece. The available demographic data as well as the interviews suggest that there is a large workforce, consisting mainly of women and children. For the needs of the thesis, the relationship between two variables, migration and workers (domestic and agricultural workers) was studied, both of which are traditional occupations.
For the collection of qualitative data, the face-to-face interview was selected based on an interview guide, with questions according to the initial hypothesis, the theoretical framework and the thematic units had to be covered. The axes of the interview guide as formed after the pilot interview are the demographic data (gender, age, lifestyle in the country of origin, reasons that led to migration), working conditions (benefits, problems, receiving instructions and orders, etc.) and suggestions for improving the situation. It was implied intentional sampling and two people, 1 man and 1 woman, who met the sampling requirements of the interview were selected. The interviews took place in the second half of December 2020. The analysis of the qualitative data was based on the thematic content analysis which leads to a controlled and systematic coding of the answers.
According to the analysis, migratory flows to Greece were limited until the 1980s and intensified from the early 1990s with the collapse of the former Soviet Union and the fall of the regime in Albania.
Immigrants are employed in low-skilled or unskilled activities, manually performed (in the agricultural or service sector) with low wages, flexible working hours without insurance or other benefits. Their inclusion can be perceived through the dipole that oscillates between rights and prohibition on the one hand and cultural contact (hope and (un)security) on the other. They experience social exclusion. The state pushes individuals towards inclusion instead of providing services as a counterweight to social inequalities. Indirectly, the work place becomes a place of social exclusion and formation of submission ways to employers.
Domestic work is characterized by lack of rights and prestige and unclear predetermined tasks that make migrant workers vulnerable and exploited by employers. Due to access difficulties, they are linked to informal economic and cultural networks to protect the informal economy, trapping women in livelihoods and making their future inclusion almost impossible. The employer is primarily responsible for the social and medical insurance of migrant workers. The employee has often no social rights in the workplace not even the choice of another employer. This situation demonstrates an underlying social, emotional or other form of connection of the domestic worker with the employers with a complete lack of work and employment boundaries.
Finally, the intense structural changes in the local markets of the Greek province contributed to the increased seasonal work that attracted a large population of male immigrants. Demand for informal work of “unskilled”, flexible and low-profile workforce has increased. At the same time, the offer to the Greek economy is complementary to the labor market of the Greek workforce as they work in positions that Greek employees do not want and do not accept.
Keywords: migration, workforce, agricultural work, domestic workers