The Asian workers keeping Greenland in business

May 23, 2026 - 12:41

Marinel Garciano does not like winter. That is a difficult reality when the season stretches for nine months in Ilulissat, Greenland. She looks out a window, but there is no green landscape to be found. Only the pristine white of a blizzard wrapping the town in a frozen haze. Garciano is one of hundreds of workers from the Philippines and other Asian nations who have become the backbone of Greenland's fishing and service industries.

Greenland, a vast Arctic territory with a small population, relies heavily on its fishing sector. Local labor is scarce, and the work is hard. Asian workers fill the gap. They work in fish processing plants, cleaning and packing cod and halibut. They staff hotels and restaurants in tourist towns like Ilulissat. Many send money home to their families, often for years at a time.

The arrangement is a practical one for both sides. Greenland gets a steady workforce willing to endure harsh conditions. The workers get wages far higher than they could earn in their home countries. But the life is isolating. Winters are dark and cold. Social life is limited. Garciano says she misses the warmth and the food of home. She stays because the job pays well, and the contract is clear.

Critics point out that these workers often have limited rights. They are tied to specific employers. If they lose their job, they must leave the country. For now, the system works. Greenland's economy depends on these workers. And the workers, like Garciano, endure the long winter for a chance at a better future.