Labor Shortage in Korean Shipbuilding 'Rain in a Drought'... Hyundai Heavy Industries Welcomes First Skilled Workers from Thailand

Expectations to Resolve Labor Shortage and Process Delays

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] Amid the domestic shipbuilding industry's struggle with labor shortages, on the 17th, 10 skilled welders of Thai nationality arrived in the country. They are the first skilled welding personnel in the shipbuilding sector to enter since the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Justice revised the guidelines for issuing shipbuilding-specific activity (E-7) visas in April.

According to the Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Plant Association (hereafter 'the Association'), these individuals are part of approximately 600 candidates who passed the skill assessment conducted locally in Thailand last August. They are scheduled to work at an in-house subcontractor of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan.

Before being deployed to practical work, they will be assigned to the primary contractor's technical training center to undergo several weeks of preliminary adaptation training, including health checkups, foreigner registration procedures, workplace safety education, and welding practical training.

The domestic shipbuilding industry has been promoting the recruitment of foreign skilled workers alongside securing domestic labor to timely produce the explosively increased orders for eco-friendly ships since last year. The government also announced support measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry in April and October to help alleviate difficulties faced by the industry.

From July to the end of October, the Association dispatched skill assessment teams to major partner countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, conducting skill assessments on about 3,000 individuals and identifying successful candidates.

The Association plans to support the entry of successful candidates sequentially as soon as permission is granted by the sending countries' governments, while also discovering additional cooperative countries and dispatching skill assessment teams as needed.

Additionally, to prevent safety accidents involving foreign skilled workers entering the country, the Association plans to develop and distribute shipbuilding industry safety textbooks in native languages with the help of related organizations.

Vice Chairman Choi Gyu-jong stated, “The Association will work closely with the government to expand the target countries for skilled worker recruitment and expedite necessary administrative procedures to actively resolve labor shortages and concerns over process delays in our shipbuilding industry.”

Meanwhile, the E-7 visa refers to a visa that allows foreign workers with specialized knowledge, skills, or abilities to work in fields designated by the Minister of Justice as particularly necessary for foreign labor introduction.