Mizzima

The Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation says that South Korea would call for over 160,000 foreign workers including Myanmar nationals in 2024.

Under the Employment Permit System (EPS), South Korea will call 165,000 unskilled workers next year and it will be the record-high number under this system. The South Korea Ministry of Labour and Employment said on 27 November that the country was facing labour shortages in many manufacturing industries.

These foreign workers will be called for 95,000 in the manufacturing sector, 16,000 in the agriculture and livestock sector, 10,000 in the fishery sector, 6,000 in the construction sector, 5,000 workers in the shipbuilding sector and 13,000 workers will be for the services sector. And a further 20,000 more workers are likely to be called for depending on the scale of the labour shortage situation.

South Korea called over 100,000 foreign workers in 2023 but in previous years it called for only about 50,000 workers.

Myanmar workers said that the target of calling foreign workers for 2024 was higher than previous years.

South Korea will reportedly expand the types of work for foreign workers who come with a non-professional employment visa (E-9).

It will include the restaurants, mining and forest sectors.

Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies are sending Myanmar workers to South Korea under the EPS system for manufacturing, construction and livestock sectors. The four Myanmar private agencies which have an agreement with the South Korea government are sending skilled workers for shipbuilding and dockyard work.