Andorra Pilots Direct Hiring of Colombian Workers for Winter Season

Andorra's business federation is developing a pilot scheme for hiring foreign workers directly from their home countries ahead of next winter's seasonal quota, with Colombia as the priority origin.

Gerard Cadena, president of the Confederació Empresarial Andorrana (CEA), said internal discussions with affected sectors are underway, alongside ongoing meetings with relevant ministries. The aim is to establish a mechanism enabling companies to recruit through this channel. Efforts are focusing on the winter quota for the coming season rather than this summer's, with an initial pilot to be assessed in meetings scheduled for next week.

Cadena highlighted Colombia as the leading candidate "because it has the most developed system," though other countries remain under consideration. He stressed the need for coordination among Andorran businesses, the government, authorities in the source nations, and Spain and France to handle Schengen transit authorisations.

The plan emerged in statements following Thursday's session of the Consell Econòmic i Social, though it was not on the formal agenda.

Unió Sindical d'Andorra (USdA) secretary general Gabriel Ubach expressed caution, stating the approach could work only "if there are guarantees they will come under the same conditions we have here." He criticised the underlying growth model, pointing to housing shortages and wages as core issues. "If we want a quality country, we need quality labour that is well paid and with affordable housing," Ubach said, warning that without these, the system risks becoming unsustainable.

Economy, Labour and Housing Minister Conxita Marsol confirmed the project is still in progress after weeks of work. She plans imminent meetings with Justice and Interior Minister Ester Molné and Tourism and Commerce Minister Jordi Torres to finalise details, without specifying a summer or winter launch. "In about 15 days, the interior minister should be able to inform us," she added.