Un modello trentino di ‘rifugizzazione’? Meccanismi di reclutamento e composizione della forza lavoro immigrata nell’agricoltura del Trentino

The paper investigates the transformations of the agricultural labor market in Trentino and the changes in the forms of recruitment and organization of the migrant workforce and its composition. Fruit cultivation, especially apples, is one of the most important economic activities in Trentino and is structurally based on migrant work, especially from eastern EU countries. The recruitment of workers was based on the relationship of trust between employers and seasonal workers. This model begun to jam due to the redesign of the trajectories of EU migrant workers, who are moving towards central European countries. Thus, employers started to recruit refugees and asylum seekers, arrived in Trentino in recent years. In addition to these transformations, the paper analyzes the impact of the pandemic on international recruitment mechanisms and the organization of the migrant workforce.