Montenegro is preparing to introduce a law for permanent seasonal workers, aiming to better regulate seasonal employment, ease employers’ operations and reduce unemployment. The Montenegrin Chamber of Commerce (PKCG) initiated this category to motivate the unemployed to retrain and secure stable employment, similar to practices in the European Union.
The Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Dialogue, with support from the German organization Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), is working on the draft law, expected to be completed by the end of January 2025. However, the delay in the timeline raises concerns about the law’s implementation before the upcoming summer season.
Tourism sector representatives have welcomed the initiative but emphasize the need for further clarification on the rights and obligations of permanent seasonal workers and subsidies for employers. They stress the importance of flexibility in hiring seasonal workers and better-defined procedures for employing foreigners. The law aims to improve employment in the tourism sector, which faces a shortage of skilled workers.
The law will also address the need for a digital system for registering seasonal workers, reducing the gray economy, and enabling electronic registration and deregistration of workers. The law’s implementation is critical to securing the necessary workforce for the tourism industry before the 2025 summer season.
Challenges remain, including how to ensure the financial viability of the permanent seasonal worker system, particularly in terms of subsidies for employers during periods of non-employment. There is also a need for more targeted strategies to encourage domestic workers to engage in seasonal employment.
Finally, PKCG advocates for a broader strategy for human resource development in Montenegro’s tourism sector, including specialized training centers, better collaboration with employers, and incentives for hiring domestic workers. Additionally, they propose a law on student employment to provide greater flexibility in engaging students for seasonal work.
