Haenam-gun, Rural Labor Shortage Eases

Published 02 May.2022 16:29(KST)

Sequential Entry Begins for 134 Foreign Seasonal Workers

[Haenam=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do has started deploying foreign seasonal workers to resolve the rural labor shortage.

Haenam-gun received an allocation of 134 foreign seasonal workers for 34 farms in the first half of this year through the Ministry of Justice's allocation review committee.

On the 1st, 12 workers with experience in the agricultural sector arrived from Cordova City, Philippines, and the remaining workers are scheduled to arrive sequentially within this month as soon as their visa screenings are completed.

Also, today (the 2nd), education was provided at the Haenam-eup Office meeting room for the foreign seasonal workers who arrived and the employing farms, covering prevention of human rights violations, crime prevention education, and workplace COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

The foreign workers who completed the training will assist on farms producing major crops such as sweet potatoes and chili peppers for the next five months.

With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic delaying foreign arrivals and causing difficulties in labor supply, the start of full-scale foreign seasonal worker arrivals is expected to ease the labor shortage on farms.

To solve the chronic labor shortage during the busy farming season, Haenam-gun signed international agricultural exchange agreements with Can Tho City, Vietnam, and Santa Rosa City, Philippines in 2019, and additionally with Cordova City, Philippines in March of this year.

County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan stated, "Ahead of the full-scale farming season, we will not only expand the introduction of seasonal workers to help resolve rural labor supply issues but also do our best to protect workers' human rights and support improvements in their living conditions through the construction of dormitories for agricultural workers."