S.Korea launches foreign worker quota exclusively for shipbuilding sector

South Korea will set a separate quota of 5,000 foreign workers to solve the labor shortage in domestic shipbuilding and accept 120,000 such workers this year to fill as many vacancies as possible. 

The Foreign Workforce Policy Committee under the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday decided in a meeting on a new foreign worker quota exclusively for shipbuilding under the Employment Permit System (E-9 visa) and a shorter re-entry period for such laborers in construction.

The shipbuilding industry deploys and uses non-professional E-9 foreign workers within manufacturing's overall quota, causing difficulty in securing such staff who can hit the ground running.

Last year, manufacturing's quota was 51,847 out of the total 69,000, with just 2,344 being foreign workers in shipbuilding.

Under the new quota for shipbuilding, foreign workers are selected based on job skills related to the industry from the recruiting stage to quickly allow their assignment and use.

The temporary annual quota of 5,000 foreign workers will expire in late 2025. After examining operational performance forecasts, the government will review whether to expand the use of the exclusive quota to other sectors suffering from labor shortages.

The shipbuilding quota will also mean stronger vocational training for foreign workers entering the country and improvements in their working environment and living conditions.

Collaboration with the original and subcontractors for E-9 workers in the early stage of entry will boost consortium vocational training. Skilled human resources like those with relevant work experience in the country are also included when organizing and selecting lists of foreign jobseekers.

Write to Yong-Hee Kwak at kyh@hankyung.com