Nearly 13,000 Foreign Workers Received Unemployment Benefits Last Year... 5 Times Increase in 5 Years

Number of Beneficiaries and Benefit Amount Increase Annually
Foreigners Also Eligible for Benefits When Enrolled in Employment Insurance
"System Must Be Improved to Prevent Abuse Cases"

At an employment support center in Seoul, clients are waiting in line at the unemployment recognition application window to receive unemployment benefits. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

The number of foreign workers receiving unemployment benefits has been reported to increase every year.

According to data received by Kim So-hee, a member of the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly from the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 11th, a total of 12,643 foreign workers received unemployment benefits last year, with payments amounting to 80.88 billion KRW. Among them, 2,010 people received benefits more than twice, which is more than three times the 651 people in 2018. The number of repeat recipients has increased annually: 916 in 2019, 1,603 in 2020, 1,671 in 2021, and 1,727 in 2022. The amount paid to repeat recipients also rose to 11.7 billion KRW last year, nearly five times the 2.5 billion KRW paid five years ago.

Last year, 248 foreign workers received unemployment benefits three or more times. This figure more than doubled compared to 105 in 2018. During the same period, the amount paid to repeat recipients increased from 300 million KRW to 1.19 billion KRW. The foreign worker who received the most unemployment benefits was confirmed to have received 49.05 million KRW over 10 times. By nationality, among the 12,643 foreign recipients, Korean-Chinese numbered 7,862, the largest group, followed by Chinese nationals with 1,718. They accounted for 75% of the total.

Foreign workers, like domestic workers, can receive unemployment benefits if they are enrolled in employment insurance and have paid premiums. The eligibility requirements are applied equally. As of last month, 166,209 foreign workers were enrolled in employment insurance. Representative Kim So-hee stated, “The repeated receipt of unemployment benefits by foreign workers is rapidly increasing,” and added, “It is necessary to improve the system, including strengthening eligibility conditions, to prevent abuse of the unemployment benefit system.”

Meanwhile, the government is discussing a legislative amendment to address the issue of repeated unemployment benefit claims by reducing the daily job-seeking allowance for recipients who have received benefits three or more times within five years and reapply. However, measures will be taken to exclude daily workers and low-wage workers from the count of repeated claims.