[RTS] Electronic registration of seasonal workers
The number of seasonal workers in agriculture has reached nearly 100,000 since the start of the seasonal employment reform. During the RTS Morning Program, Jelena Bojović, Program Director at NALED, and Zoran Jakovljević, Project Manager at GIZ, discussed how employers have adapted to the reform, which has brought 1.9 billion dinars into the Serbian budget, who seasonal workers are, and the benefits of electronic registration.
Until 2019, seasonal workers were hired "under the table" in 95% of cases. Farmers, who needed the easiest way to register seasonal workers, are now able to register berry pickers and other workers online with just a few clicks. More than a thousand employers have used this option, mostly in Vojvodina.
Zoran Jakovljević, Project Manager at GIZ, mentions that in 2019, when this system was introduced, around 20,000 seasonal workers were registered annually.
- In 2023, approximately 49,000 workers were registered, which is a record year. Employers are required to pay 550 dinars in contributions for each worker for each working day. Whether the payment is made daily, weekly, or monthly is a matter of agreement. A new law is in preparation to expand easier registration of seasonal workers to other sectors - Jakovljević emphasized.
Jelena Bojović, Program Director at NALED, provides the example of large sporting events, when cafes experience high traffic, and additional workers are needed in these situations.
- On the other hand, we know that there are 50,000 households that hire some form of domestic help for ironing, washing, which is very often once every two weeks - explains Bojović.
You can watch the entire guest appearance on our YouTube channel.
