More Foreign Workers Needed

Construction workers in Seoul do exercises together before the start of the working day.
Construction workers in Seoul do exercises together before the start of the working day.

 

The number of the coming year’s foreign workers on E-9 visas has been set at 55,000, up 2,000 from 53,000 this year.

The government held the 19th session of the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee on Dec. 23, celebrating the 10th anniversary of establishing the employment permit system, and decided to implement two agendas. The first was the “foreign workforce introduction and operation plan for 2015,” which includes the foreign workforce plan, and “remediation plan of the employment permit system.”

According to the plan, 55,000 foreign workers will be introduced next year. The figure has increased by 2,000 compared to this year.

The sectors facing difficulties in obtaining manpower are given concentrated allocations of visas. The manufacturing sector has received the lion's share at 42,000, and agriculture, stock breeding and fishery is allowed to hire 2,300 foreign workers. There will be 45,000 new immigrants, and 10,000 experienced immigrants will remain.

With considerations of the different characteristics of each sector, the manufacturing industry will be given foreign workers four times a year (January, April, July, and October) as they face a constant need for manpower, while sectors of agriculture, stockbreeding, fisheries, construction and services, which are strongly dependent on seasonal shifts, will receive the concentrated deployment of foreign workers in the first half of the year. Agriculture, stockbreeding and fisheries will get workers in January and April, and construction and services in January.

Meanwhile, the government has arranged for the employment of foreign workers who have passed the Test of Proficiency in Korean, but it will change the policy to put such factors as career level and the level of working proficiency into consideration in its arrangements of actual employment.

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