Two Filipino caregivers involved in pilot program suspected of running away

Two Filipino caregivers who arrived in Seoul last month have abandoned their accommodation and are currently unreachable.

Filipino domestic caregivers arrive at Incheon International Airport on Aug. 7. [YONHAP]

Two Filipino caregivers who arrived in Seoul last month have abandoned their accommodation and are currently unreachable.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday, the two caregivers left their shared housing in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, on Sept. 15, just less than two weeks after they started working at households in the capital.

Service providers Homesaeng and Hubriz were notified of the missing caregivers on Wednesday and reported the situation to the city government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor the next day.

As of Monday afternoon, the two Filipino caregivers had still not returned to their accommodation. The Seoul city government said it is taking multiple actions, including contacting the caregivers' parents, to facilitate their prompt return.

If the caregivers do not return by Wednesday, the employers are required to report the situation to the regional employment and labor office. Foreign workers entering the country under the E-9 nonskilled workers visa can be reported if they are missing for five business days.

Once a report is filed, the caregivers will be required to leave the country within a month. If they do not comply, they will be classified as illegal immigrants.

On Thursday, caregivers involved in the program all received a letter emphasizing the importance of the pilot program between the two countries and detailing the consequences of running away. The city government has also informed the Philippine Embassy in Seoul about the situation and requested its cooperation.

Observers suspect the caregivers may have left in search of higher-paying jobs, such as in manufacturing, or due to delays in receiving their salaries. The Seoul city government on Monday disclosed the exact payments the caregivers had received so far.

Caregivers are paid monthly, with payments issued on the 20th of the following month for the previous month’s work.

For their training period from Aug. 7 to Sept. 2, the total allowance was 2.01 million won ($1,502). Of this, 539,700 won was deducted for accommodation costs and income tax. The amount after deductions, around 1.47 million won, was paid partially on Aug. 30, Sept. 6 and Friday.

Their full payment for September will be issued on Oct. 20.

In response, the Seoul city government announced plans to work with the Labor Ministry to improve the working conditions of Filipino caregivers, including a plan to switch from monthly to weekly payments. A meeting with experts is scheduled for Tuesday to discuss improvements to the current system.

“The Seoul city government, the Labor Ministry and the service providers all hope the pilot program will succeed and officially launch, given that the Filipino caregiver initiative is based on an agreement between the two countries,” a city government official said.

A total of 100 Filipino caregivers arrived in Korea on Aug. 7 as part of a pilot program jointly led by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The program aims to address the country's shortage of caregivers and the high cost of child care.

The caregivers are scheduled to work through late February.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]