Seasonal work – what is it and what does it look like in practice?
Many branches of the economy are characterized by seasonality. Revenues and the ability to achieve them are distributed very unevenly throughout the year. It is enough to mention tourism, the renovation industry or agriculture. This state of affairs means that in some months of the year companies need workforce, while in others business is stagnant and maintaining jobs is unprofitable.
In such industries operating in such industries for years, seasonal workers have played a huge role, hired when they are necessary. On the Polish market, these are more and more often employees from abroad and hired with the help of agencies in accordance with what the Temporary Work Act says. What exactly is seasonal work? What are the benefits? Why is it profitable for companies to employ people from abroad?
Assumptions of seasonal work
Seasonal work is most often considered to be an employment relationship lasting no longer than 9 months. Seasonal workers appear primarily in industries where the demand for labor is variable on an annual basis. Such industries include, among others:
- tourism
- agriculture
- construction industry,
- Hospitality
- gastronomy.
In addition, seasonal workers are sometimes hired as replacements when, for some reason, such as maternity leave, a full-time position remains temporarily vacant. Cooperation with seasonal workers can take place on various terms.
Often it is a fixed-term employment contract – until the position is needed or the person previously occupying it returns to work. Usually, a seasonal worker receives the same financial and other terms of employment as the person he replaces. The only difference is that the contract is signed for a fixed period.
Temporary work can also take place on the basis of civil law contracts. This is often the case with short employment relationships, for example in gastronomy operating in popular tourist destinations, where demand exists for about 3 months, or in agriculture during the harvest. Another solution is to use the services of a temporary employment agency, which is able to immediately provide employees with appropriate competences.
Seasonal workers – benefits
Seasonal work brings great benefits to companies. The company saves a lot of money because it does not have to maintain unnecessary jobs all year round. This gives you a higher level of financial flexibility. Seasonal workers usually do not expect stable employment – they care about fair earnings and are able to accept civil law contracts.
Another benefit lies in the flexibility of employment – not in all industries it is possible to predict the demand for temporary workers well in advance – it can depend, for example, on the weather. Fortunately,temporary workers can be recruited at an express pace.
Recruitment of employees from abroad for seasonal work
The Polish labour market has undergone huge changes in recent years. The relatively low level of unemployment makes it somewhat more difficult to find suitable seasonal workers at present. A significant number of Poles can boast of stable full-time employment, which is why temporary employment relationships are not particularly attractive to them, as well as salaries. However, the gap created on the market is perfectly filled by the recruitment of employees from abroad – primarily from the east – Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia or Georgia, but also from Asia.
Seasonal workers from abroad play their role well for several reasons. Very often, coming to Polish is strictly for them to earn money. After completing their duties, they plan to return to the country. In this way, they are highly motivated to work and willing to work overtime if necessary. Salaries offered in Poland are attractive to them compared to local ones. Importantly, this group does not lack people with different qualifications and professional profiles. You can easily find blue-collar workers, warehouse workers, but also specialists. The only barrier to hiring foreign workers for seasonal work is bureaucracy. While there aren’t many legal hurdles, the paperwork of hiring a foreign worker can take up to a month.
Seasonal workers with the support of temporary employment agencies
That is why many companies employing seasonal workers use the help of a temporary employment agency. This solution has great advantages, which include:
- no need to recruit – thanks to this, employees are available faster, because recruitment is on the side of the agency that has an employee base,
- no need to create new jobs – this way the company saves,
- a wide database of candidates with diverse qualifications – thanks to agencies, it is easy to find suitable employees,
- lack of HR and payroll services – this area is completely dealt with by the agency,
- additional costs – employment of employees from a temporary employment agency is included in the company’s costs, which reduces taxation,
- Full employee service on the part of the agency – the company does not have to worry about accommodation, transport and insurance of temporary workers.
Seasonal workers are indispensable in many industries. Companies also use them when they are on the verge of larger projects with limited own processing capacity. Thanks to temporary employment agencies, the solution is very flexible and works perfectly.
What is seasonal work?
Seasonal work is nothing more than a type of employment of temporary workers during specific seasons. Seasonal workers are employed for a short period of time, usually a few weeks or months. Their task is to provide assistance in the period of the greatest demand for work. In the case of seasonal work, the most common industries are:
- agriculture (fruit and vegetable harvesting, field work),
- tourism (work in hotels, restaurants, amusement parks),
- trade (assistance during holiday seasons such as Christmas or Easter),
- construction (work on a construction site, related to appropriate weather conditions).
Seasonal work and a contract – types of contracts and types of employment
Seasonal work can be performed on the basis of various contracts, and its choice depends mainly on the employer’s needs, the type of work performed and the provisions of the labor law. The vast majority of seasonal work takes place on the basis of fixed-term work, contracts of mandate, contracts for specific work, or temporary contracts.
So it all depends on the type of contract. However, it is good to know what each of these contracts is about. So it’s time to move on to their characteristics and answer the question: which employment contract is worth using?
- Fixed-term contract – most often used in the case of seasonal work. An employer hires a seasonal worker for a definite period of time, which is most often a moment of increased demand. An employee employed under such a contract is protected by the Labor Code. In addition, he is entitled to holidays, remuneration from work and health and safety protection. Importantly, the employer can terminate the contract before the end of time, but must provide notice of termination of the contract beforehand.
- Contract of mandate – this is a civil law contract, which owes its popularity to the fact that it is more flexible than an employment contract. It is very often used in seasonal work, especially when the employer does not want to be bound by a permanent contract. A contract of mandate does not guarantee the same rights as an employment contract. The employee is not entitled to annual leave. However, the employer is required to pay social security and health insurance contributions.
- Contract for specific work – this is another civil law contract. It differs in that it is aimed at performing a specific work, e.g. renovation. In the case of hiring an employee under this type of contract, the contractor (employee) undertakes to perform the work, and the ordering party (employer) to pay the remuneration. In this type of contract, it is important to indicate the deadline for the completion of the work.
Major industries offering seasonal work
Seasonal work is most popular in industries where the demand for additional hands to work increases at different times of the year. Therefore, finding seasonal work is not difficult, and very often industries hire a temporary employment agency to provide them with additional employees.
Which industries are looking for seasonal workers to perform work in a period of high demand? These include:
- agriculture – employees are employed in a seasonal capacity, during the harvest of fruit and vegetables. A farm needs support in plant care, tree trimming and other work related to growing plants during the season.
- Tourism and hospitality – by becoming a seasonal worker in the tourism industry, you can work as a receptionist, waiter, bartender, or kitchen helper. We are mainly talking about towns located by the sea or in the mountains.
- trade – temporary work can be done in trade. Most often these are sales jobs during the holiday season, customer service work, or inventories and reorganization of goods.
- entertainment – this includes assistance in the organization of festivals, concerts and other mass events. It is also the service of attractions, ticket sales, or maintaining order in amusement parks and amusement parks, which are most popular in the spring and summer season.
Seasonal work offers variety. Such work and seasonal contract is especially attractive for people looking for short-term work, i.e. young people, students and people who want to earn some extra money.
Seasonal work abroad – opportunities and requirements
Seasonal work abroad is mainly of interest to young people, students and people looking for additional income. Of course, this form of employment offers a higher salary than in Poland. In addition, it is a chance to gain work experience, the opportunity to learn about other cultures and learn the language during everyday conversations.
The most popular countries are : Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Great Britain, Spain and Italy. The cross-section of the work performed is really large. From fruit harvesting, caring for the elderly, to work in horticulture, fishing, tourism, entertainment and agriculture.
However, hiring an employee from abroad is associated with a list of requirements that the employee must meet. These include legal employment, which involves having a passport, ID card, and in some countries – a work visa.
Before starting work, the employer should also provide a written contract. The contract will specify the period of employment, terms of employment, working hours and other important information.
It is also important to have health insurance. People travelling to EU countries can use the European Health Insurance Card. However, in some cases, it is advisable to purchase additional insurance in case of illness or accident.
We cannot fail to mention the knowledge of the language, which is really important. In many cases, it will be knowledge of the local language at a basic level.
Doświadczony analityk rynku pracy, specjalizuje się w badaniach nad trendami zatrudnienia i zmianami w strukturze zawodowej. Jego artykuły, publikowane w renomowanych czasopismach branżowych, pomagają czytelnikom zrozumieć dynamikę rynku pracy.
