The Korean government will increase an influx of foreign workers to industrial sites and rural areas suffering from labor shortages in 2024 to more than 260,000 from 170,000 in 2023 in response to the Korea’s population crisis and labor shortage, according to the Korean Government’s Economic Policy Direction for 2024 on Jan. 4. The government has included a number of measures to respond to Korea’s declining birth rate, labor shortage and aging population.
In 2023, the number of foreign laborers in Korea was 120,000 non-professional workers with E-2 visas, 12,000 skilled workers with E7-4 visas and 40,000 seasonal workers, totaling 172,000.
The government has also increased “incentives” to attract top foreign talent. To attract talented foreigners in high-tech fields, the government will expand the number of science and engineering scholarships and prepare a system for permanent residence and naturalization for outstanding foreign talent in the first half of the year.
Requirements for the Science Card, including the visa issuance and residence permit system for high-level scientific and technological foreign personnel, will also be relaxed. The government will also ease income requirements for spousal work permits and the invitation of parents. The goal is to make it easier for talented foreign people to bring their families to Korea.
The period of time allowed for job search visas for international students after graduation in Korea will be extended from two years to three. Areas allowed for employment will be expanded from existing white-collar jobs and professional fields to include employment in industries with severe labor shortages. The government will map out a plan to introduce a special case for long-term work for non-specialized workers (E-9) in the first half of 2024 and devise measure to induce long-term work for skilled workers with E-7-4 visas.