More job opportunities for foreign workers in Korea

Many industries such as hotels and shipbuilding will benefit from this policy change.

South Korea to start training workers in shipbuilding skills in Indonesia in August 2024.

From higher wages for low-skilled workers to a training center for shipbuilding experts, South Korea is stepping up efforts to attract foreign workers who are also sought after by neighboring economies Japan and Taiwan (China).

According to Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, the average salary of low-skilled foreign workers in South Korea has surpassed the equivalent figures in Japan and Taiwan (China) as of 2022. South Korea is also increasing job opportunities for working foreign students, entrepreneurs and people with advanced degrees to attract more international talent.

The government has expanded the annual quota for the Work Permit System — a program targeting low-skilled foreign workers — from about 50,000 workers in 2021 to 165,000 workers in 2024. The program has also been expanded to include workers in the restaurant, hotel and aquaculture industries.

Workers in the logging and forest fire prevention industries will also begin entering South Korea under the program from late October. Accepting up to 1,000 forestry workers a year will significantly ease labor shortages in rural and mountainous areas, a government source said.

In addition, last August, South Korea opened a labor training center for the shipbuilding industry on the Indonesian island of Java. Trainees will receive 340 hours of welding training, 40 hours of safety training, and 100 hours of Korean language training to be ready to work immediately for Korean shipbuilding companies.

The facility is one of many planned around the world as South Korea's shipbuilding industry loses workers to sectors like semiconductors and automobiles. One estimate suggests the sector will be short about 14,000 workers by 2023. To meet the industry's needs, the government eased work visa restrictions in 2022 to allow more welders, painters and other ship-related workers to enter the workforce.

Meanwhile, Seoul City in September designated 100 qualified Filipino domestic workers as “housekeeping managers,” who will help single- and dual-income households with household chores to ease their burden. The program, which is aimed at helping boost South Korea’s falling birthrate, is expected to eventually include workers from other countries.

South Korea's population increased for the first time in three years to 51.77 million in 2023, mainly due to a 10.4 percent increase in foreign residents to 1.93 million, government data showed.

According to Statistics Korea, foreigners will account for 5.7 percent of the country's population in 2042, up from 3.2 percent in 2022. The number of foreign nationals or, including their children, is expected to nearly double to 4.04 million in 2042.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/them-nhieu-co-hoi-viec-lam-cho-lao-dong-nuoc-ngoai-tai-han-quoc-289394.html