To Ease Worker Shortage at Industrial Sites
The government has decided to give work permits (E-9 visas) to 110,000 foreign workers next year to solve a manpower shortage problem at industrial sites.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor reported this plan at the 11th Emergency Economic Meeting, which was presided over by President Yoon Suk-yeol. The ministry's plan for 2023 is the largest in scale since the introduction of the Employment Permit System in 2004. It reflects a severe labor shortage in industrial sites in Korea. The previous high was 72,000 foreign workers introduced in 2008. The 2023 figure is an increase of 59.4 percent or 41,000 workers from 69,000 for 2022.
In the first half of this year, a shortage of manpower reached 642,000 workers, causing delays in delivery and shipment of goods and in harvesting of agricultural products. As of September this year, the number of E-9 foreign workers staying in Korea stood at 245,000, which amounted to 88.4 percent of the pre-COVID-19 level, as foreign workers were restricted from entering Korea due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of foreign workers to be allowed to work in Korea in 2023 was calculated in consideration of replacement demand (51,000 people) due to the expiration of work permit periods, new demand for industrial sites (48,000 people), and flexible allocation (10,000 people). The plan to introduce foreign workers was decided at the end of December in the past. But this year, the government made an early decision to ensure that foreign workers can enter the country beginning from January 2023.