Cross border workers are people who live in a country and work in another, and they might as well be expats. When you live near a border, you might have to travel and work in another country for various reasons (better career opportunities, more attractive working environment and wages, etc.). In Europe, hundreds of thousands of people cross borders every day to work in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy or Spain. While it is a well-established system, it wasn't spared by the Covid pandemic.
The impact of border closures
One of the first and main consequences of the pandemic on cross-border workers resulted from border closures. During the lockdowns, cross-border workers (apart from the medical sector and other essential sectors benefiting that had a pass) were no longer allowed to work abroad. In short, many of them could not even work. It has been a dark period for all those who depend on crossing borders to earn their living, but some were more fortunate than others.
Some have been able to continue working despite the border closures and health restrictions due to the nature of their work. In fact, the exemptions applied to essential workers.
Many of those who worked in production chains and had to be absolutely present on-site to work were unfortunately laid off during the lockdowns.
Finally, there are all those who had to reinvent their careers during this uncommon period and work remotely.
Rise in teleworking
Remote working became the answer to the questions of all cross-border workers who can do their job in front of a computer or a telephone. The same applied to traditional workers who had to adapt. This is how remote working increased in an unprecedented increase. Cross-border workers ended up working and living (temporarily) in the same country. However, things are much more complex than they look, especially when you are officially attached to another country for its taxes and social security contributions.
Social security and tax issues for cross border workers
Cross-border workers are subject to a special regime that regulates their working time abroad. But when you longer work abroad, a lot of questions arise. Fortunately, governments considered a series of measures to protect the rights of cross-border workers, especially in terms of social security and healthcare. In Europe, for example, a special policy was introduced at the beginning of the pandemic. Tax agreements that aim to preserve the rights of cross-border workers who benefit from specific tax regimes were also reviewed.
When the borders finally reopened
Once borders reopened, many cross-border workers could go back to work. Still, inevitably, they have been facing some issues, starting with sometimes longer trips to their workplace due to border controls where they have to present documents such as a negative Covid test, health pass, etc. To date, many countries still have such requirements for travellers and cross-border workers, although some have been relaxing their Covid restrictions. Another difficulty encountered by cross-border workers during this period is the lack of heterogeneity in each country's rules and policies. For instance, problems may arise if you work in a country with more flexible entry policies, but you have to go back to your country where the policies are more restrictive. Hence the importance for cross-border workers of finding an appropriate solution with their employer on a case-by-case basis.
A decline in the number of cross-border workers
Overall, and for all the reasons explained above, there has been a significant decline in the number of cross-border workers over the last decades, but this cannot be solely attributed to the pandemic. The figures still vary from one country to another. Still, life is slowly getting back to normal for cross-border workers like the rest of the working population as Covid restrictions are being dropped.
