South Korea likely to allow restaurants to hire foreign workers

SEOUL - The government of South Korea is exploring the possibility of broadening the scope of restaurants eligible to employ foreign nationals with non-professional working visas (E-9) beyond Korean cuisine. 

The country's Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs has confirmed the development due to an emerging labor shortage within the industry.

The development comes months after the ministry extended the list of permissible workplaces for migrant workers to include Korean restaurants. However, proprietors of non-Korean eateries are advocating for a more extensive application of this policy to include all types of dining establishments.

In a recent development, the ministry initiated a tender for a research project aimed at increasing employment opportunities for E-9 visa holders within the hospitality sector. This initiative follows the ministry's previous endeavors, which encouraged Korean food restaurants to consider hiring E-9 visa holders for kitchen positions.

The research is aimed at evaluating the outcomes of the initial phase of employment placements for E-9 visa holders, gauge the severity of labor shortages across various types of restaurants, understand the immediate requirements of restaurant operators, and devise strategies to augment the supply of foreign workers to establishments grappling with staffing shortages, Koreatimes reported

Commenting on the development, a ministry official stated that given that the employment of foreign nationals in local restaurants has just begun, the government has initially opted for a gradual implementation of the new labor law.

'Consequently, we initially permitted only Korean food establishments to avail themselves of additional workforce,' he added.

As far as the statistics are concerned, out of the approximately 800,000 registered restaurants in the country, Korean cuisine establishments constitute the majority at 42 percent.

The government had initially restricted the entry of foreign workers in the industry as some believe that Korean culinary practices entail more intricate preparation processes.

Recently, the food ministry announced its acceptance of a second round of applications from local Korean restaurants requiring foreign workers for kitchen operations, scheduled from April 22 to May 3. 

Similar to the initial phase, eligibility for the second phase is confined to restaurants located in 100 designated districts, including 25 in Seoul, 16 in Busan, and 10 in Incheon, among others.

There are some eligibility benchmarks in this regard. For instance, qualified establishments must demonstrate a minimum operating history of five years. Restaurants with five or more employees can apply for up to two foreign nationals, while those with fewer than five employees are limited to one foreign national.

The labour crisis in Korea has skyrocketed which has also triggered concerns amongst the policymakers. A report by the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS) concluded that the country must add 900,000 more workers to its total labor force by 2032 to maintain an economic growth rate of 1.9-2.1 percent.