Georgian citizens to be able to seek seasonal work in Germany

An agreement has been signed between Georgia and Germany, according to which Georgian citizens will be able to legally travel to Germany and temporarily find employment there for seasonal work.

The agreement concerns jobs in agriculture; in other words, Georgianswill mainly participate in the harvest of various seasonal crops.

According to the programme, the duration and conditions of employment are regulated: Georgian citizens will spend from one to three months in Germany, working five to six days a week. The duration of the working day is 8-10 hours.

The minimum wage is €9.50 per hour; tax, food and lodging expenses will be deducted from this amount.

Applicants must first register on the workabroad.gov.ge portal.

According to the Ministry of Health, the first flow of Georgian citizens will arrive in Germany by April this year – seasonal work in Germany will begin on April 1. Registration will be available from February 15th and will last for a year.

The applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Must be a citizen of Georgia
• Age – from 18 to 60 years old
• Do not travel to the Schengen area for 3 months before leaving for Germany
• Be physically healthy
• Have work experience and motivation for harvesting
• Absence of any reason (violation) limiting re-entry to the country
• Basic communication skills in German or English (in case of group work, it is necessary that at least one participant can communicate in German or English). The language requirement is determined by the employer.

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How the selection is made

After registration, the applicants will be contacted by the employees of the employment agency. Upon arrival at the service center, applicants must have their ID or passport on hand.

As for the selection of personnel for specific vacancies, the German side is already involved. The German employer will be provided with the data of the applicants for a specific vacancy, and the final decision will be made by him.

In case of a positive decision of the German employer, the person who wants to work is sent an employment contract, which will be signed between the parties before leaving for Germany.

After the meeting with the Minister of Health, the German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch also commented on the project, saying the fact that Georgian citizens will be employed in the agricultural sector will also become an important experience for the country:

“We are confident that many people in Georgia are very familiar with this area and will be able to contribute to the agriculture of Germany as well as to the same area in their country upon arrival. Germany is not implementing this project with all countries, we are starting it with Georgia. For the first time, after a long time, we invite labor from another country,” the ambassador said.

● Former Prime Minister and Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili first announced the possibility of legal employment of Georgian citizens abroad two years ago.

Bidzina Ivanishvili then said that the government was working with several developed countries on the issue of legal employment of Georgian citizens:

“If this project comes out and, most likely, comes out, the vast majority of emigrants will be trained in Georgia and will be legally employed with a European salary. We’ll also add cheap flights so they can return home once a month.

● Every seventh citizen of Georgia receives social assistance. Official unemployment is 12 percent, although 63 percent consider themselves unemployed.