Yeongam-gun Holds Meeting to Introduce Foreign Seasonal Workers

Exploring Measures to Secure Foreign Workers Including MOU Signing

A meeting is being held to introduce foreign seasonal workers. ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 21st that on the 20th, company officials, farm representatives, and key officials from the county office held a meeting to discuss the introduction of foreign seasonal workers.

The purpose of this meeting was to discuss measures to resolve the difficulties in rural areas caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, such as the decrease in agricultural labor during the busy farming season and the resulting increase in wages for foreign workers. The participants shared plans for signing MOUs with foreign local governments capable of supplying labor and for introducing management programs.

The foreign seasonal worker introduction program is designed to address labor shortages during the busy farming season by legally employing foreigners for a short period and assigning foreign workers residing abroad to domestic applicant farms.

The head of the workforce management team at the Foreign Workers Center of Samho Heavy Industries, who attended the meeting, proposed a plan to invite families of foreign workers within the heavy industry to enable seasonal work, aiming to “comfort foreign workers tired of living away from home and simultaneously support the insufficient agricultural labor force in the region, achieving a win-win effect.”

An official from Yeongam-gun stated, “To solve the labor shortage problem during the busy farming season caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we will actively review and promptly implement various measures for introducing foreign seasonal workers, including signing MOUs with foreign local governments discussed at this meeting.”