A worker shortage in the United Kingdom has raised demand for foreign workers and, along with it, concerns about mistreatment—even modern slavery.

In early 2022, Sara Thornton, the country's anti-slavery commissioner at the time (the post has been unfilled since spring 2022), cited several exploitation risks facing migrant agricultural workers, including racism and discrimination by management, debt bondage, recruitment fees, unsafe and unsanitary housing, and contracts not written in their native language.

While an evaluation of a 2019 seasonal worker pilot program found no instances of slavery, there were strong indicators of exploitation, she said, noting that "modern slavery and severe cases of labor exploitation tend to be hidden from public view and are rarely discovered during audits and compliance visits."

A major expansion of the U.K.'s seasonal-worker visa program has raised risks of mistreatment. The program has been touted as a recruitment opportunity as far away as the Caribbean and Nepal, Thornton added. The U.K. has issued 40,000 seasonal-worker visas in 2022, a big jump from the 2,500 granted in 2019; temporary and skilled-worker visas also grew over that period.

To avoid exploiting foreign workers, employers, in addition to following legal requirements related to migrant workers, can adopt various practices the government has suggested.

Protective Moves

"It should go without saying that employers should ensure that they treat all workers fairly and...

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