From shadow labour to legal recognition: Spain’s greenhouse workers pin hopes on regularisation

Series: The Root Causes of Migration 

Spain’s ongoing regularisation campaign is raising hopes among thousands of migrant workers employed in the country’s vast greenhouse industry. Many have spent years working without legal status, often enduring low wages, precarious housing, and limited access to basic services. By obtaining legal documentation, workers expect better pay, improved working conditions, and greater opportunities to participate fully in Spanish society.

A migrant working in a greenhouse in Spain 

For seven years, Moroccan migrant Abdelmoujoud Erra has lived and worked in Spain without legal documents. He has relied on temporary jobs while residing in a shanty settlement with poor sanitation and limited access to water. Erra believes regularisation could enable him to earn higher wages and improve his quality of life. Despite recently losing most of his belongings in a fire that destroyed part of his settlement, he remains optimistic, as his application documents were safely stored elsewhere. Reflecting on his journey, Erra expresses regret over missed opportunities, including pursuing a professional boxing career and visiting his family in Morocco.

Erra’s experience mirrors that of many undocumented migrants working in Almeria, southern Spain, home to Europe’s largest concentration of greenhouses. The region’s 30,000 hectares of greenhouse crops generate around €3 billion in exports annually and employ around 80,000 workers. Many migrants gather daily in search of temporary agricultural jobs, often under difficult conditions and for lower wages than their documented counterparts. 

The Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, views the regularisation initiative as an important measure to strengthen the economy and address demographic challenges associated with an ageing population. Estimates suggest that up to 840,000 people may be working without documentation across Spain. In Almeria alone, around 10,000 migrants are believed to live in substandard housing, while a substantial portion of the agricultural workforce lacks legal status.

Farmers’ organisations and labour groups have expressed support for the campaign, arguing that regularisation could help reduce labour shortages, improve stability for both employers and workers, and stimulate economic growth. For migrants such as Ghanaian worker Michael Aymaga, regularisation represents more than improved living conditions. It also offers the opportunity to fully contribute to Spanish society by using their skills, accessing formal employment, and participating in the economy with dignity and security.

Spain’s regularisation initiative highlights the critical link between migration, labour and economic sustainability. For thousands of greenhouse workers, it represents a pathway out of invisibility and exploitation, and towards recognition, stability, and inclusion. By bringing undocumented workers into the formal system, the country has the potential to improve both individual lives and broader economic resilience. 

The full report can be found here :

https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/71512/spain-migrant-workers-in-greenhouses-hope-regularization-campaign-brings-improved-conditions