Foreign Workers Entering Until August Reach 26,000... "Resolving Labor Shortage"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 14th that it will prioritize the entry of more than 26,000 foreign workers who were unable to enter the country over the past two years due to COVID-19 by August to alleviate labor shortages on-site.

The Ministry plans to allow all approximately 28,000 foreign workers who were issued employment permits this year but have not yet entered the country to arrive by the end of the year, enabling a total of more than 73,000 entries by the end of this year.

The number of entrants was 51,366 in 2019, but dropped to 6,688 in 2020 due to COVID-19. Last year, 10,501 people entered the country.

This year, the number of entrants is expected to increase to 19,000 from January to May, about 26,000 from June to August, and about 28,000 from September to December.

To this end, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, decided to extend the validity period of the visa issuance approval certificate issued to employers from the current six months to one year, simplifying the procedures for reissuing the certificate.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, irregular flights will be increased, and starting next month, according to the plan to expedite the normalization of international flights, aircraft operations will be conducted based on demand.

Lee Jung-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, said, "Since labor shortages in small and medium-sized enterprises and rural areas are severe, we will strive to remove domestic and international obstacles so that foreign workers can enter the country promptly."

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