Naju City Introduces 'Foreign Seasonal Workers'... Resolving Rural Labor Shortage

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City in Jeollanam-do is making smooth progress with its policy to introduce foreign seasonal workers to alleviate the chronic rural labor shortage caused by rural aging.

According to the city on the 8th, following the launch of the 8th local government administration, it signed business agreements with three local governments in the Philippines and Vietnam, and received an allocation of 205 foreign workers from the Ministry of Justice in the first half of this year, which is expected to be a great help to farms struggling with labor shortages every year.

Naju City signed a business agreement to introduce seasonal workers with Bithan City, Hau Giang Province, Vietnam.
[Photo by Naju City]

Along with this, Naju Baewonye Horticultural Cooperative was selected for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' '2023 Public Seasonal Labor Project,' securing an additional 50 Vietnamese workers.

Among 18 cities and counties nationwide, including Naju, selected for the project, the city secured a budget of 145 million KRW, including national and provincial subsidies, for worker accommodation costs and other expenses.

The public seasonal labor project is characterized by allowing farms in need of labor to apply for and receive foreign workers employed by the agricultural cooperative on a short-term basis, even for a minimum of one day.

This differs from the existing seasonal labor system under the Ministry of Justice guidelines, which involves long-term employment for 3 to 5 months.

It is expected to provide stable labor supply for small-scale farms and facility greenhouse farms that need workers for only one or a few days, as well as reduce the wage burden on workers.

Encouraged by these results, the city will introduce and operate 255 foreign seasonal workers in the first half of this year, an approximately eightfold increase compared to last year's employment record of 32 workers.

The city plans to complete visa issuance applications this month for 196 workers, including 177 from Vietnam, 12 from the Philippines, 6 from Cambodia, and 1 from Thailand.

They will be deployed to assist labor at a total of 51 farms: 17 in facility horticulture, 18 in fruit farming, and 16 in other categories.

All three rural labor centers in Naju (Chamber of Agriculture and Fisheries, Naju Branch of the Agricultural Cooperative, and Naju Baewon Cooperative) were selected for the Ministry of Agriculture's '2023 Rural Labor Brokerage Center Support Project,' which is expected to activate domestic rural labor brokerage as well.

The city secured a total project budget of 270 million KRW, including 17.55 million KRW in national and provincial subsidies and a 30 million KRW incentive based on last year's performance.

The centers form a labor pool to supply customized workers to farms and mediate labor for farms in need.

Farms needing labor and job seekers can apply to the centers and receive assistance without separate brokerage fees.

Participants in agricultural work are supported with transportation, shipping, accommodation, on-site training, insurance costs, and team leader allowances.

At the Naju Baewon Cooperative brokerage center, the city is investing 50 million KRW to operate an agricultural work team specialized in pear cultivation, targeting foreign residents in Korea such as marriage migrant women.

The city plans to sign a business agreement with Bac Kan Province in Vietnam within this month to establish a stable and sustainable system for introducing foreign workers.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, "The entire process for introducing foreign seasonal workers, which will be a key solution to the chronic labor shortage in rural areas, is progressing smoothly."

He added, "Since the number of foreign workers has increased about eightfold compared to last year, we will do our best to manage and inspect to ensure that farms and workers can guarantee stable farming and income, including preventing illegal departures, protecting human rights, and paying appropriate wages."

Meanwhile, last November, the city signed foreign worker introduction agreements with Guagua City and San Luis City in Pampanga Province, Philippines, and in December with Bi Tan City in Hau Giang Province, Vietnam.

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong baekok@asiae.co.kr

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