Will It Relieve the Caddy Shortage?..."H-2 Visa Also Allowed"

Frontline Golf Courses Face Hiring Shortages Due to Caddy Turnover Amid Rising Demand
H-2 Visa Employment Sectors Expanded... Overseas Koreans and Foreigners Eligible
Concerns Over "Service Quality Decline" Addressed with "Training Solutions"

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] Starting next year, foreign nationals holding a visit employment (H-2) visa will also be allowed to work as golf course caddies, which is expected to ease the manpower shortage at golf courses. Although the demand for caddies has surged due to a rapid increase in golf course users, the supply has been insufficient because the job is perceived as a 3D (difficult, dirty, dangerous) occupation. However, some experts predict that even if foreign nationals are permitted to work as caddies, it will be difficult to resolve the supply issue in the short term due to language communication problems.

Allowing H-2 Visa Holders to Work as Caddies

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 25th, the government has announced a draft amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act last month, which expands the types of jobs available to foreign workers entering with an H-2 visa starting next year. The draft is currently awaiting review by the Regulatory Reform and Legislation Office.

Until now, the H-2 visa has been operated under a 'positive' system that prohibits employment outside of designated industries. Employment was only allowed in manufacturing, construction, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and 34 service industries. Working in industries outside these was illegal. Employers in industries permitted under the 'Act on the Employment, etc. of Foreign Workers' could hire ethnic Koreans holding foreign nationality by obtaining a special employment permit.

However, the government plans to change this system through the amendment to a 'negative' system, which only specifies prohibited industries, allowing employment in all other industries. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's H-2 employment education website, the excluded industries are ▲finance ▲information services ▲real estate ▲research and development ▲education services ▲publishing ▲professional services, totaling 22 industries. Since golf course caddies are not included in the prohibited industries, H-2 visa holders will be able to be freely hired as caddies in the future.

What is the H-2 Visa?

The visit employment (H-2) visa refers to a visa that allows foreign nationals of ethnic Korean descent, such as 'Joseonjok' and 'Koryoin,' aged 18 or older, from six former Soviet Union countries?Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan?and China to reside and work in Korea.

The duration of stay is three years. The employment process involves entry → employment education → job registration → employment support center referral or free job search → labor contract. Unlike the non-professional employment (E-9) visa, there are no restrictions on changing workplaces.

Expectations for Relief in Caddie Shortage

With the allowance of caddie employment for H-2 visa holders, there is growing hope that golf courses struggling with recruitment difficulties will find relief.

According to the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute (Director Seo Cheonbeom), the number of caddies in Korea last year was 36,605, an increase of 4,677 from the previous year. However, the industry explains that there is still a shortage of about 5,000 to 6,000 caddies, approximately 20%.

A representative from a golf course in Gyeonggi Province said, "Most golf courses are suffering from severe caddie recruitment difficulties," and added, "We expect the situation to improve somewhat due to the policy change."

In fact, some golf courses that have struggled with caddie supply since the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a surge in golf population, have introduced 'driving caddies' who only operate carts or implemented a 'no caddie system.'

Unlikely Reduction in Caddie Fees... Concerns Over Service Quality

However, even if the supply of caddies improves, the industry consensus is that the possibility of a sharp reduction in caddie fees is low.

In reality, the average caddie fee per team, which was only 100,000 won in 2010, rose to 120,000 won in 2014, 130,000 won last year, and currently stands at 140,000 to 150,000 won this year. Last year, golfers' total expenditure on caddie fees reached 1.5934 trillion won, a 35.5% increase compared to 2019.

Kim (33), who worked as a caddie at a golf course in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, pointed out that the increase in caddie fees is due to the avoidance of the demanding work. He said, "There are many cases where caddies work two to three shifts a day without even one day off a week," adding, "Because the work is tough, existing caddies quit, creating a vicious cycle."

A person in charge of caddie recruitment and management at a golf course in Gyeonggi Province, identified as A, said, "The policy improvement will somewhat help with the caddie recruitment difficulties," but added, "We are not considering any measures to reduce caddie fees."

Meanwhile, some concerns have been raised about the potential decline in caddie service quality. This is due to insufficient Korean language communication skills and a general lack of golf knowledge among foreign caddies.

In response, a representative from a golf course said, "Caddies are not immediately put into practical work upon employment; there is a training period of about two months, so there should be little concern about service quality."