Seoul seeks to improve foreign nanny program after two abscond

Wages not issue, but long commutes, caring for multiple kids burdensome, says Seoul city

Kim Sun-soon, director of Seoul city's Women and Family Policy Division, speaks during a meeting at HomeStory Living's conference room in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday. The meeting focused on the city's foreign caregivers pilot program. (Yonhap)

In the wake of two caregivers from the Philippines abruptly disappearing just two weeks into Seoul's foreign caregiver pilot program, officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor convened a meeting in Seoul Tuesday to address operational challenges faced by the caregivers. Among the issues the meeting participants highlighted were lengthy commutes between assignments and a heavy workload associated with caring for multiple children.

The meeting included representatives from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and CEOs of the two official service providers -- HomeStory Living and Hubriz -- selected by Seoul city and the Labor Ministry, along with two Filipino caregivers participating in this program who provided only their first names, Jasmine Erica and Joan.

This meeting follows an incident where two of the 100 caregivers participating in the pilot program disappeared from their accommodations in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu during the Chuseok holiday on Sept. 15. Attempts by the service providers to contact them have been unsuccessful. According to the program regulations, they will be classified as undocumented starting Thursday.

Local reports initially raised concerns about financial hardship stemming from the monthly pay system in which the workers receive their salaries the following month after working. However, at the meeting, Seoul city said wage issues are not the problem. "Despite speculation about discontent driven by pay, the caregivers explained otherwise, noting that their earnings here are substantially (high) compared to standards in their home country," said Kim Sun-soon, director of Seoul city's Women and Family Policy Division.

In the meeting, Kim said their pay, amounting to over 2 million won ($1,500), is felt to be substantial compared to wages in the Philippines, where they would earn between 300,000 to 400,000 won per month.

Seoul city announced it would not pursue a full transition to a weekly pay system, as, according to it, there were virtually no complaints about the current payment system. Instead, weekly payments will be available as an option for those who prefer them. "The consensus among them seems that monthly wages facilitate better financial planning," Kim said.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government attributed the challenges faced by the caregivers more to long commute times and difficulties in managing multiple children rather than financial reasons.

"One instance involved responsibility for both a 20-month-old and a 5-year-old simultaneously, which was noted as a key factor triggering stress," Kim said.

Seoul city plans to consider providing additional compensation to those Filipino caregivers caring for multiple children in a household, similar to how caregivers in other Seoul city initiatives receive a 50 percent increase in their base pay when caring for two children.

Also, excessive time spent commuting between households was identified as another significant issue for the caregivers responsible for multiple families, with some managing as many as three to four homes each. Seoul announced it would explore ways to allocate caregivers that minimize travel time.

The foreign caregiver pilot program, pursued by Seoul city and Labor Ministry, is designed to provide 157 selected families with affordable child care in response to a shortage of local caregivers willing to do low-wage care work. The six-month pilot program, exclusively for Seoul households, primarily dual-income with multiple children, hires only women aged 24-38 of Philippine nationality who hold the Caregiving National Certification Level II Certificate from the Philippine government. The participating 100 caregivers began working Sept. 3.

The caregivers work flexible shifts between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. Seoul city guarantees them at least 30 hours of work per week, or a minimum income of approximately 1.54 million won per month. If they work eight hours a day, five days a week, they earn around 2.38 million won per month before tax and insurance deductions.

By Lee Jaeeun(jenn@heraldcorp.com)