Number of foreign workers under Employment Permit System hits record high
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The number of foreign workers staying in South Korea ...
South Korea's foreign workforce under the Employment Permit System (EPS) hit a record 287,424 in 2024, the labor ministry disclosed on Wednesday. The EPS permits nonprofessional foreign workers to fill labor shortages in small and medium-sized businesses. The workforce has surged from 159,463 in 2021 to 282,839 in 2024, according to figures submitted to Rep. Kim Wi-sang of the People Power Party.
The majority of EPS workers, 229,844, constitute 80% of the total, working in manufacturing. Agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors employed 33,878, 15,441, and 5,441 foreign workers respectively, making up 11.8%, 5.4%, and 1.8% of the workforce. Construction and services sectors had 6,724 and 1,410 foreign workers, accounting for 2.3% and 0.5% of the total.
Rep. Kim highlighted the disproportionate presence of EPS workers in manufacturing, emphasizing the need to reform the EPS. The government has increased the annual EPS visa quota from 69,000 in 2022 to 165,000 in 2024, but reduced it to 80,000 this year due to economic challenges and a decline in local businesses' applications for EPS workers.
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