Temporary labour migration and restricted rights: comparative perspectives from European agriculture

Bojarczuk, Sara, Matuszczyk, Kamil and Scott, Sam ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5951-4749 (2026) Temporary labour migration and restricted rights: comparative perspectives from European agriculture. Comparative Migration Studies. doi:10.1186/s40878-026-00544-5 (In Press)

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Abstract

Over the 21st century, there has been a resurgence of low-wage temporary labour migration across higher-income countries, particularly in Europe. The restriction of migrants’ rights has often accompanied such migration. This has led many academics to question the idea that temporary migration represents a ‘triple win’. Specifically, migrants are seen to suffer due to the rights restrictions placed on them by host countries. This article compares temporary agricultural labour migration to Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom. We identify the different ways and degrees to which migrants’ rights have been compromised under largely bilateral (Poland), largely regional (Germany) and largely global (UK) migrant recruitment regimes. Through the comparative analysis, ‘better practices’ are identified from across the three case-study countries, and a list of 34 rights-based indicators is proposed and assessed. The paper is intended to advance the knowledge of, and debate around, what constitutes migrants’ core rights and point towards how temporary migration policies can become more (rather than less) worker-friendly in future.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General) H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Arts, Culture and Environment
Depositing User:	Sam Scott
Date Deposited:	15 Jun 2026 09:38
Last Modified:	15 Jun 2026 09:45
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16346

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