During Peak Farming Season, Half of Required Workforce Supported by Public Sector... 12.11 Million Supplied, 38% Increase from Previous Year

The government has decided to supply about half of the necessary workforce during the busy farming seasons from the public sector this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 5th that it will implement the "2024 Seasonal Workforce Support Measures" to ensure the appropriate supply of agricultural labor during the busy farming seasons (April to June and August to October) and support the stable production and supply of agricultural products.

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The demand for seasonal agricultural labor this year is estimated to be approximately 24.29 million person-days, similar to last year. Of this, about 12.11 million person-days, or roughly 50%, will be supplied by the public sector. This represents an increase of about 38% compared to last year's 8.77 million person-days.

In particular, since about 72% of the seasonal demand is concentrated during the busy farming seasons, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has formed a "Special Task Force for Seasonal Workforce Support" to focus on managing counties and cities with concentrated demand to prevent labor shortages.

To expand the supply of labor from the public sector, the ministry plans to increase the number of foreign workers permitted for employment and the allocation of seasonal workers. To actively respond to ultra-short-term demands of less than three months, the Korea Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NongHyup) will actively introduce a public seasonal labor project that hires foreign workers and supplies them to farms in need. Support for foreign workers’ adaptation in Korea and the operation of counseling centers for human rights protection and damage relief will also be strengthened.

Additionally, through city and county rural workforce brokerage centers, support for local labor will be reinforced, and efforts will be made to promote voluntary rural labor assistance by urban residents and university students.

Furthermore, to ensure housing stability for agricultural workers including foreigners, 10 agricultural workforce dormitories already selected will be completed promptly, and an additional 10 dormitories will be constructed by 2026. Also, the maximum allowable area for agricultural worker housing on farmland will be expanded from the current 660㎡ to 1000㎡ to allow installation of worker accommodations as ancillary facilities to the housing.

To reduce agricultural labor demand, excellent mechanization models for field crops such as onions and garlic will be established and promoted within local communities.

Han Hoon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "We will closely cooperate with related ministries, local governments, and NongHyup to explore all possible measures to prevent labor shortages during periods of concentrated seasonal labor demand."

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