Foreign Worker Quota Set at 120,000 Next Year... Expansion of Employment Permit System for Local Companies with Over 300 Employees

Ministry of Employment Announces Killer Regulation Reform Plan
Revamps Employment Permit System to Double Employment Quota
Total Quota Significantly Expanded to 120,000 Next Year

Foreign employment will become possible even in workplaces where it is difficult to find workers, such as medium-sized root industry companies (with 300 or more employees) located in provincial areas and parcel loading and unloading sectors. The employment limits for foreign workers in manufacturing and agriculture/livestock industries, where foreign labor is scarce, will be doubled by workplace.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-seok is holding a briefing on the reform of killer regulations to revitalize the labor market at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 23rd. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

On the 24th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the "Plan to Abolish Killer Regulations to Revitalize the Labor Market" at the 4th Regulatory Innovation Strategy Meeting, which includes these measures. Minister Lee Jeong-sik of the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, "The importance of utilizing foreign labor is increasing in response to labor shortages in the labor market," adding, "Since the Employment Permit System has been in place for 20 years, we will fundamentally review both quantitative and qualitative reforms to reflect the changed conditions of our workplaces, unlike in the past."

The Employment Permit System allows domestic small and medium-sized enterprises that cannot find workers to hire foreign workers with government approval. The core of the system is that when an employer applies for foreign workers to the government, the government selects foreigners and permits them to enter Korea. To protect domestic jobs, the system has operated with limited industries and quotas.

The government plans to expand the industries eligible for the Employment Permit System to address blind spots in labor shortages. The system, which has been centered on manufacturing, will be restructured to allow foreign employment in more service sectors experiencing chronic labor shortages. The Employment Permit System (E-9 visa) will be officially introduced for parcel loading and unloading jobs and airport ground handling, which were piloted last year.

Improvements will also be made to allow employment in tourism accommodation sectors such as hotels, condominiums, and restaurants. Foreign employment (E-9 visa) will be permitted for medium-sized root industry companies with 300 or more employees outside the metropolitan area, which are experiencing chronic labor shortages. Currently, the E-9 visa employment is limited to manufacturing (with fewer than 300 regular employees or capital of 8 billion KRW or less), construction, fisheries, agriculture and livestock, and some service sectors (construction waste disposal, collection and sale of recyclable materials, refrigerated and frozen warehouses, publishing, etc.).

The employment limit for foreign workers per individual workplace will also be increased. For manufacturing, the limit will be expanded from 9?40 to 18?80 workers, and for agriculture and livestock, from 4?25 to 8?50 workers, doubling the employment limits per workplace. The overall quota for foreign workers will also be increased. The quota planned for the fourth quarter will be raised from 30,000 to 40,000, and next year it will be expanded to over 120,000.

Efforts will also be made to improve productivity by enhancing the skills of non-professional foreign workers. Previously, foreign workers worked for 4 years and 10 months, left the country, then re-entered and worked another 4 years and 10 months. Going forward, foreign workers will be allowed to continue working without leaving and re-entering the country. The foreign labor management system will be restructured to reflect on-site demand continuously. A systematic procedure will be established to analyze on-site demand regularly and select the scale and permitted industries for foreign labor accordingly. Additionally, by linking information between ministries, unnecessary document submissions will be eliminated to reduce public inconvenience when utilizing foreign labor.

Improvement of Industrial Safety Regulations Lagging Behind Technology...Complete Revision of 680 Safety and Health Rules

Industrial safety regulations that have not kept pace with technological and industrial development will also be revised. About 680 provisions of the Industrial Safety and Health Rules will be completely overhauled to enable safety measures tailored to workplace characteristics. Outdated regulations not used in the field and redundant rules will be improved.

Unreasonable regulations repeatedly raised in "on-site visiting meetings," such as emergency exit installation standards in semiconductor factories, will be abolished. Due to the nature of the semiconductor industry, it is difficult to comply with scaffolding installation standards because of large protruding equipment inside factories. Accordingly, standards for the semiconductor industry will be revised to allow more flexible scaffolding installation through structural reviews. Core safety rules for protecting life and health will also be adjusted to fit workplace characteristics, enabling a self-regulatory prevention system to function effectively. The government plans to immediately reflect on-site demands and continue close communication with industries through relay dialogues to sustain field-oriented regulatory improvements.

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