Damyang-gun Recruits 'Temporary Foreign Seasonal Workers' to Address Labor Shortage in Agriculture Sector

Benefits such as extension of stay and change of visa status granted to foreign participants with 1 to 5 months of employment period

[Damyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Damyang County, Jeollanam-do announced on the 27th that it is recruiting temporary seasonal workers for foreigners who have been unable to leave the country due to COVID-19.

Currently, rural areas are experiencing a severe labor shortage due to delays in foreigner arrivals caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

To address this, Damyang County received an allocation of 65 foreign seasonal workers for the second half of the year from the Ministry of Justice and is recruiting seasonal workers among foreigners currently residing in Korea.

Eligibility requirements include foreigners legally residing in Korea aged 19 or older, those with dependent (F-3) or visiting family (F-1) status, and those whose departure period has been extended or whose departure deadline has been deferred due to COVID-19.

The recruited foreign seasonal workers will be engaged in agricultural tasks such as cultivation and harvesting management of strawberries, persimmons, and tomatoes, and after screening, they will be assigned to farms that applied for foreign seasonal workers.

In particular, there is a focused recruitment of foreign workers to be deployed for persimmon harvesting and strawberry work. The work period is within 1 to 5 months, and after completing labor contracts and industrial accident insurance enrollment procedures, workers will be placed on farms. Foreigners participating in seasonal work will receive benefits such as extension of stay period and change of stay status.

Foreigners wishing to participate in seasonal work can apply by mail, fax, or email to the Eco-friendly Agriculture Division of Damyang County Office or the Gwangju Immigration Office.