According to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), around 5,000 third‑country nationals come to Estonia each year for short‑term work. Most workers arrive from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, India and Georgia.

While Ukrainians, Moldovans and Uzbeks receive short‑term work permits at a fairly stable rate, recruitment of Indian and Georgian nationals has fluctuated significantly over the years.

For the past three years, the same pattern has repeated: applications for short‑term work begin to rise in March and fall at the start of autumn. This means a large share is tied to seasonal work, the PPA said.

In 2024, 5,379 permits were issued; last year the number was 4,980. As of 29 June this year, the figure had already reached 2,396. The number of foreign workers has therefore decreased noticeably.

People move around

Four years ago, before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many seasonal workers also came from Belarus — but Estonia no longer allows entry from there.

Raimond Strastin, head of the Estonian Horticultural Association, said berry growers find their workers on their own.

"Our companies have used seasonal labor from Ukraine and Moldova for years. People usually come because a friend wants to earn extra money for the summer or a relative is interested," Strastin said.

"People move around — someone gets sick, someone heads to Central Europe where pay is better. New people come again. There's a lot of turnover, and it's getting harder to find workers," he added.

Bureaucracy and restrictions also play a role, Strastin said. War, visa‑rule changes or transport issues can quickly affect labor availability.

Police asks for school diplomas

"For security reasons, the state increasingly checks people's backgrounds. The PPA often asks for additional documents that are difficult to obtain during wartime — for example, school diplomas, which must be submitted when registering short‑term work. It seems that by the time Midsummer approached — when most workers were supposed to arrive — things started to run more smoothly. The PPA processed applications better than in April and May," Strastin said.

The berry‑picking window is short, and even a delay of a few days can cause significant losses. Seasonal workers often need accommodation and transport, which adds costs.

Foreign labor is not an end in itself for farmers, but a solution to the shortage of local seasonal workers.

"It's hard to find local people. Some growers have long‑standing contacts with locals and are very happy about that. But when it's high summer, the berry season is in full swing and every moment counts, many prefer to go to the beach or do something else instead of hard work in the fields and waking up at 4 or 5 in the morning," Strastin explained.

Hard work, irregular hours

Berry‑picking hours are irregular and depend on weather. For example, in 30‑degree heat, picking is done mainly in the morning and evening — a schedule that doesn't fit well with the daily rhythm of Estonians.

Overall, this year's berry harvest is modest, Strastin said. While the start of summer looked promising, heavy rains have now flooded fields, making berries inaccessible.

This contradicts Estonian blueberry forager Liisa Kallari's recent experience in the woods, where she found plenty of blueberries. "The berries are big and sweet, and now is the best time to pick them because they're especially ripe," she said.

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