Acceptance of foreign workers is growing, says survey

More than half the population is positive about foreigners becoming an integral part of Korea's labor force, a recent survey showed. Of the 1,000 Koreans surveyed by the Seoul National University Asia Center between Jan. 6 and 9, 57.2 percent...

Foreigners work at a cabbage farm in Hongcheon County, Gangwon, last October. [YONHAP]

More than half the population is positive about foreigners becoming an integral part of Korea's labor force, a recent survey showed.

Of the 1,000 Koreans surveyed by the Seoul National University Asia Center between Jan. 6 and 9, 57.2 percent agreed with the statement that acceptance of large numbers of foreigners working in the country was necessary. Some 37.3 percent disagreed.

Korea, a country with the lowest birthrate in the world, is increasingly reliant on foreigners to make up its dwindling labor force.

The number of foreigners employed in the country peaked at over 900,000 in 2015 and 2016, before dropping with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Citing labor shortages, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration put forward several policies to expand the foreigner work force, announcing last September it was accepting applications from foreign workers for an expanded category of work visas. The Employment and Labor Ministry raised the quota for non-professional employment E-9 visas for this year from 59,000 to 69,000.

As of last year, there were around 843,000 foreigners employed in Korea, according to Statistics Korea.

A total of 49.6 percent of the survey respondents disagreed with a statement that having more foreigners work in the country could cause more social unrest, compared to 43.1 percent who agreed.

Asked whether accepting more foreigners into the country could reduce employment possibilities for Korean nationals, 53.9 percent of the surveyed respondents said they did not think so, while 40.4 percent said they did.

“Major Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, China, and Australia are moving to secure essential manpower to work in industries that locals are reluctant to work in, and to attract high-skilled professionals and international students to engage in knowledge-based industries,” said Yoon In-jin, a professor of sociology at Korea University. “It is becoming more important for the country to find ways for people of different cultural backgrounds to live harmoniously together.”

BY PARK HYUN-JU, ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]