Damyang-gun and Philippines Tarlac Province Sign Agreement on Seasonal Worker Introduction

Efforts to Solve Rural Labor Shortage with Annual Introduction of About 250 People through MOU and More

On the 22nd, Damyang County in Jeollanam-do announced on the 25th that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the province of Tarlac in the Philippines to introduce foreign seasonal workers in order to enhance agricultural competitiveness and address labor shortages during the busy farming season.

The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Byeong-no, the governor of Damyang County; Susan Yap Sulit, governor of Tarlac Province; Gina Arsenale Garcia, administrative officer; and five others, along with about 10 officials from Damyang County.

According to the agreement, Tarlac Province in the Philippines will select outstanding personnel and provide agricultural training to help them adapt well to farms in Damyang.

Damyang County plans to offer jobs to Filipino youth and transfer advanced agricultural technologies such as facility horticulture cultivation techniques.

Governor Lee Byeong-no said, “This agreement is expected to contribute to stabilizing the management environment and securing the sustainability of agriculture amid ongoing rural aging and labor shortages. In addition to agricultural exchanges with Tarlac Province, we will cooperate and coexist in various fields such as culture and tourism.”

He added, “Once the dormitory for foreign seasonal workers planned in the Samman-ri area of Damyang-eup is completed next year, the working and living conditions of the workers will improve, which will also increase work efficiency in agricultural sites.”

Meanwhile, the foreign seasonal worker program is a system that allows the legal employment of foreigners for a short period (5 months) to solve rural labor shortages.

In Damyang County, about 250 foreign seasonal workers annually, including family members and relatives of marriage immigrants, continue their work activities in Damyang under the MOU.