"Foreign workers still face obstacles in accessing decent working and living conditions in the EU. In 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-EU nationals were already more likely to be unemployed or employed temporarily than nationals and mobile EU citizens. They were also at greater risks of poverty and social exclusion. The pandemic highlighted their positive contributions to sectors deemed essential, like the food industry and health care, but also exacerbated existing inequalities and vulnerabilities in relation to work and housing.

This Policy Insights paper, which came about with the support of the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM), examines the relevant EU policy and legal frameworks and identifies advocacy opportunities to ensure fair working and decent housing conditions for all migrants. It also includes action-oriented recommendations for civil society organisations (CSOs). Their focus is on strengthening cross-sectoral and transnational collaborations with policymakers, trade unions and the private sector; shaping ongoing and future legislative initiatives in a way that does not leave any blind spots for specific categories of non-EU nationals (e.g. undocumented migrants); and involving migrants and persons with a migrant background in CSOs' research and advocacy. "

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