Yoon: "Industrial Workforce Shortage Worsens... Devise Integrated Foreign Labor Measures"

Discussion on 'Foreign Workforce Management System' at Meeting Between Prime Minister Han Deok-su and Resident Representatives
Presidential Office: "Crying Out Due to Labor Shortage... Current Legal System Insufficient"

President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 26th instructed Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to "devise a plan to integrate the management of foreign workforce scattered across various ministries."

During the regular weekly meeting with Prime Minister Han on the same day, President Yoon discussed the 'foreign workforce management system' and said, "Despite the government's efforts, the labor shortage in industrial sites is worsening due to the structural factor of a declining working-age population," giving this directive. In response, Prime Minister Han said, "We will establish a task force (TF) for integrated foreign workforce management and prepare improvement measures."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

So far, the government has been implementing various measures to secure foreign labor. As the crisis of population cliff due to low birth rates and regional extinction deepens, steady discussions have been held not only on establishing an immigration office but also on the direction of immigration policies.

Recently, the Ministry of Justice announced plans to relax the selection criteria and increase the number of foreign skilled workers, which aligns with this context. The plan aims to actively respond to labor shortages in industrial sites without infringing on the employment opportunities of Korean citizens, by significantly expanding the issuance of long-term work visas to skilled foreign workers in simple labor sectors and easing both the selection criteria and the number of selected workers.

President Yoon's directive on this day is interpreted as a call to accelerate the government's response. A presidential office official also evaluated, "Currently, labor, industry, and rural sites are experiencing a severe shortage of manpower, to the point that it is being described as an outcry," adding, "Our country's legal and administrative system is somewhat inadequate to comprehensively address these issues."

The management systems scattered across ministries have also been pointed out as an issue, with the Ministry of Employment and Labor responsible for non-professional workers in small and medium enterprises, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs along with local governments handling seasonal rural workers. The official elaborated, "The immigration office, currently being led by the Ministry of Justice, requires legislative action and considerable time due to the need for government reorganization," adding, "This TF formation is a measure proposed to address the issue during the time it takes to establish the immigration office."