The Chilean agricultural industry faces a shortage of approximately 300.000 workers during the key harvest period, concentrated between November and April. This labor shortage threatens a sector estimated to generate 1 million direct jobs and export some US$13.500 billion last year. "Between 20% and 25% of the harvest could be lost if we don't have enough labor," warns one agricultural entrepreneur.

The president of the National Agricultural Society (SNA), Antonio Walker, points out that "this reality is not unique to Chile, but occurs in many countries, and is met with migrant workers, especially during peak demand seasons, which are about to begin in Chile."

Cristián Allendes, former union leader and president of the fruit exporter Gesex, explains that the labor shortage began 12 years ago, filled in those years by Haitians, but the phenomenon worsened with the pandemic, "where the availability of Chilean labor was significantly reduced. And if it weren't for foreigners, the local agribusiness would be severely affected and wouldn't be what it is today."

The issue took on a pressing role, becoming a centerpiece of the presidential campaign, sparking an intense debate about the advisability of formalizing migrant workers, as proposed by the SNA. This is also an urgent challenge for the sector, given the high levels of informality in the agricultural sector.

According to the National Employment Survey of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INE), in the June-August 2025 quarter, the informal employment rate in agriculture was 40,7%, with a percentage of foreign workers of 7,7%.

Today, the bulk of foreign workers come from Bolivia, an entry that was facilitated after the signing of an agreement within the framework of the Mercosur Visa. This grants temporary residency for up to two years, renewable, and includes a permit to work in any activity in the country. "This visa is free; three years ago it cost US$150, previously it was obtained with a passport, and now it takes a year to obtain with an identity card; today it takes 15 days. This has allowed 92 Bolivians to enter since January. But the idea is to extend this type of agreement to other countries," emphasizes the SNA leader.

Indeed, to regulate migratory flows, agricultural workers look to the experience of developed countries that have addressed the shortage of agricultural labor. "In Spain, for example, the majority of agricultural workers come from Eastern Europe. And Australia and New Zealand support sectors such as construction and agriculture with foreign labor," Allendes points out. He adds: "For Chile, failure to resolve this issue puts its position as an agri-food powerhouse at risk and threatens the country's economy and that of its agricultural regions."

Another agricultural entrepreneur adds: "We have operations in several countries, and in poorer ones, like Mexico, Peru, and Morocco, we operate with local labor, because agriculture generates employment. This doesn't happen in more advanced countries, which aren't able to cope with the peaks of agriculture with local labor. And that's where we should be looking."

Working holiday

Australia is an agricultural powerhouse. It accounts for 10% to 15% of global wheat exports and relies heavily on foreign labor, especially for seasonal jobs.

Temporary visas are available for certain agricultural tasks, such as fruit and vegetable harvesting, packing, planting, grain cultivation and harvesting, livestock farming, vineyard work, and farm maintenance.

The most common is the Working Holiday, which allows you to work for up to 12 months. If you accumulate three months working in agricultural fields, you can request an extension for a second year; and if you accumulate six months working in the sector during that second period, you can request a third year.

To address labor shortages in rural areas, Australia also has the Pacific Labour Mobility (PALM) program, which allows Australian companies to recruit workers from nine Pacific island countries and East Timor in Southeast Asia.

Another option is the Temporary Work Visa, which requires a sponsoring employer. The visa can be granted for up to four years, depending on the occupation.

New Zealand's economy is also primarily based on agriculture, particularly dairy, meat (lamb and beef), horticulture (kiwis, grapes, apples), and wine production. And like Australia, it faces a labor shortage. To fill this shortage, it offers three types of visas.

One of these is the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), which allows skilled foreign workers to work in the country for an employer accredited by Immigration. It is valid for up to three years.

There is also the Temporary Work Visa (Recognized Temporary Employer Scheme, RSE), which lasts seven to nine months and requires workers to return to their countries between seasons. It is offered to workers from selected Pacific Rim countries, such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and others.

There is also a Working Holiday visa, intended for people between 18 and 35 years of age, which allows them to work in agricultural fields for short periods.

Post-Brexit Program

Agrícola San Clemente has established itself as the largest cherry producer in the United Kingdom, supplying major supermarket chains through an integrated operation that combines local production with direct shipments from Chile. By 2025, Agrícola San Clemente's entire harvest in England will be carried out by workers from Chile, thanks to a program that allows growers to experience up to four cherry and apple farming seasons in a single year: starting in Chile, continuing in England and Scotland with the cherry harvest, and then finishing in other fruit-growing regions of Europe working in the apple harvest.

The British agricultural labor market relies on seasonal migrant labor, primarily through the Seasonal Worker Visa (SWV). Last year alone, an estimated 50.000 workers arrived from abroad to work in UK agriculture on this visa, which is valid for a maximum of six months. The visa cannot be renewed or extended and can be reapplied for in subsequent years, but there must be a six-month waiting period between jobs. It also does not allow bringing family members with you.

To obtain a visa, each worker must have a Certificate of Sponsorship from an authorized employer in the United Kingdom.

The program was implemented in 2019 to address the labor shortage created by Brexit, the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Until then, a significant percentage of agricultural workers came from across the European Union. Since Brexit disrupted free movement to the United Kingdom, most workers returned to their home countries.

Collaboration with Latam

During the last citrus harvest in Spain, 90% of seasonal workers' employment contracts went to migrants.

Spain has the GECO (Collective Management of Contracts in Origin) program, promoted by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, which facilitates the hiring of foreign agricultural workers on a regular and temporary basis from their countries of origin.

This program allows employers to hire migrant workers directly in their countries of origin for seasonal employment. Workers can also obtain multi-year permits, valid for up to four years, with the possibility of renewal and the requirement to return to their country of origin at the end of the work season. Spain intends to expand the Gecco program to West Africa.

There is also collaboration with Latin American countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.

Workers from Mexico and the Caribbean

Canada is facing a severe agricultural labor shortage, with projections indicating that some 200.000 jobs could be unfilled by 2030. Last year, an estimated 30.000 positions went unfilled, resulting in lost sales of approximately US$5.000 billion.

The government is considering new avenues to attract foreign workers. Currently, the country has the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), which allows agricultural employers to hire foreign workers from countries such as Mexico and the Caribbean for up to eight months per year when Canadians or permanent residents are unavailable.

It also has the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which has a key requirement: employers must obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to demonstrate their inability to find qualified Canadian workers or permanent residents. A foreign worker can only work for a specific employer with a work permit.