S Korea to import foreign workers to ease burden of housework

South Korea will now import foreign workers to ease the burden of housework and childcare. This comes as the country struggles to get young people interested in marriage and kids, CNN reported.

The South Korean government on Friday announced that a pilot program allowing 100 foreign domestic helpers to start working in the capital Seoul would begin as early as December.

The plan will expand the number of industries and companies eligible to employ foreign workers, as South Korea faces an ageing population, shrinking workforce and labour shortages in various sectors.

As per CNN, the pilot program will prioritize sending foreign domestic workers to dual-income married couples in their 20s to 40s, single-parent households, and multi-child families, as these groups have the highest demand for help with housework. The program aims “to ease the burden of housework and child care,” said the prime minister’s office in a news release.

As prerequisites, the workers need to be at least 24 years old, and will undergo background checks including a review of any criminal or drug-related records, the release said. Authorities will also evaluate the migrants’ work experience, knowledge and language proficiency skills.

The news release said they will be placed in Korean households through “credible agencies,” which will monitor the program’s success through its six-month run, the news release said.

South Korea’s falling marriage and birth rates can be attributed to the burden of child care and housework as well as the rising costs of living, and a growing reluctance among educated women to put their careers on hold.

A government report earlier this week found that among residents aged 19 to 34, more than half said they didn’t see the need to have a child, even after marriage. And only 36.4 per cent of respondents said they had a positive perception of marriage – citing common factors like economic difficulties, according to CNN.

The government in an effort to address the shortage, even proposed raising its cap on working hours to 69 per week, up from the limit of 52 – until a backlash among young workers forced them to walk back the plan.

Under current rules, South Korea only permits foreign nationals on specific visas to work in housekeeping or child care, such as long-term residents, marriage migrants and ethnic Koreans coming from overseas. This new pilot program aims to open up that work to E-9 visa holders – foreign workers in “non-professional” jobs.