Next Year, 52,000 Foreign Workers to Be Introduced... 'Decrease' After 5 Years Due to COVID-19

Manufacturing Workforce Decreases by 3,000 and Construction by 500
22,000 Employment Permits Prioritized for Issuance in First Half
Issuance of 30,000 Permits to Be Reviewed Later

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The scale of foreign workers (E-9 visa holders) entering the country through the general employment permit system next year has been finalized at 52,000.

Considering the trend of workers who have received employment permits but face difficulties entering the country due to COVID-19, the scale has been reduced for the first time in five years.

On the 23rd, the government held the '28th Foreign Workforce Policy Committee' chaired by Koo Yoon-cheol, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, and approved the 2021 foreign workforce introduction and operation plan containing these details.

The annual introduction scale of E-9 foreign workers increased from 55,000 in 2015 to 58,000 in 2016, then was frozen at 56,000 for four consecutive years from 2017 to 2020, and will decrease to 52,000 next year.

The government stated that it finalized the introduction scale considering next year's economic and employment outlook and the decreasing trend in foreign workforce applications.

By industry, the quotas are ▲Manufacturing 37,700 (3,000 fewer than this year) ▲Agriculture and livestock 6,400 (maintained) ▲Fishing 3,000 (maintained) ▲Construction 1,800 (500 fewer) ▲Service 100 (maintained) ▲Flexible allocation 3,000 (500 fewer).

The government explained that the quotas for manufacturing and construction were reduced reflecting the decreasing demand for foreign workers this year.

Although it was judged that additional demand would arise this year due to the application of the 52-hour workweek despite the decrease in corporate demand, this principle will not be applied next year.

The flexible allocation quota was also reduced by 500 compared to this year, reflecting the overall decrease in foreign workforce quotas.

The government plans to issue 22,000 employment permits in the first half of next year and review the issuance of the remaining 30,000 later.

This decision was made considering that about 30,000 foreign workers who received employment permits this year could not enter Korea due to COVID-19.

The issuance of employment permits will be reviewed considering the workforce introduction trend due to COVID-19 and the economic and employment situation in the second half of next year.

If the spread of COVID-19 continues next year and the introduction of foreign workers is not smooth, the government plans to promote an exceptional extension of the employment activity period for foreign workers, which is limited to a maximum of five years.

By amending the Foreign Employment Act, the current '3+2 year principle (3 years basic, 2 years upon re-entry)' can be improved to allow an exceptional extension of the employment activity period in situations such as infectious disease outbreaks.

Industries such as limestone mining, where domestic workers avoid employment due to the location of workplaces (remote mountainous areas), will be added to the H-2 (visiting employment) category for overseas Koreans.

For coastal fisheries, the proportion of foreign workers on board will be increased from 40% to 50% of all crew members to prepare for potential labor shortages.

The government plans to utilize foreign students who graduated from domestic science and engineering undergraduate programs (4-year courses) as general employment permit system foreign workers (E-9).

Additionally, by amending the Foreign Employment Act, it will be mandatory for employers hiring foreign workers to complete labor relations law and human rights education for the first time.

At the meeting, operational measures for the employment permit system in response to the global spread of COVID-19 were also discussed. The plan is to introduce workers mainly from sending countries with favorable COVID-19 situations.

Submission of a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate will be mandatory upon entry of foreign workers, and quarantine management before and after entry will be strengthened by conducting daily monitoring during self-quarantine and online employment education.

Koo Yoon-cheol, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, said, "If the spread of COVID-19 continues next year, it is expected to be difficult to introduce foreign workers, so we plan to operate the employment permit system flexibly considering the COVID-19 trend and workforce supply difficulties on the ground."

He emphasized, "Protecting the working conditions and human rights of foreign workers working in Korea is also important, so we will strengthen protection of foreign workers at the government-wide level."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.