[Exclusive] Seoul City Discusses Introduction of Foreign Elderly Care Workers

Survey on Foreign Workers for Elderly Care Introduction
Reviewing Inclusion of 'Caregivers' in E-9 Visa
Government Responds with E-7... "Not for Certified Fields"
Aging Population, Labor Shortage... "Need for Rapid Response"

Seoul City has officially begun discussions on introducing foreign elderly care workers. Although the government has newly added the caregiver occupation to the E-7 (specific activities) employment visa, allowing foreign students to work in the caregiving field, there has also been talk of securing personnel through the non-professional employment (E-9) visa. The intention is to quickly address the severe labor shortage, but the government maintains that areas requiring professional certification need careful consideration.

According to Seoul City on the 10th, the city recently conducted a preliminary survey on the introduction of elderly care workers targeting foreigners participating in the caregiver workforce development program, which the government is currently piloting. This was to verify the background and process by which they obtained caregiver certification in Korea.

It has also been confirmed that inquiries were made to the government about whether 'caregivers' could be included among the recipients of the non-professional employment (E-9) visa. The government's plan to develop foreign caregiver personnel is currently limited to foreign students (D-2) and those who have obtained a job-seeking visa (D-10) after graduating from domestic universities, making it difficult to quickly replenish large numbers of workers like Filipino domestic helpers.

Above all, there are concerns that the current pace of aging and elderly care labor shortages cannot be kept up with. The government approves changes to the specific activities visa (E-7) if foreigners holding job-seeking or student visas obtain the relevant certification and find employment as caregivers in Korea, but it takes considerable time before they can be deployed on-site.

The background lies in the rapid aging and severe labor shortage in recent years, resulting in a lack of professional caregiving personnel. According to a report titled 'Measures to Alleviate Care Service Labor Shortage and Cost Burden' published by the Bank of Korea last year, the shortage of care service personnel is expected to increase significantly from 190,000 in 2022 to between 380,000 and 710,000 in 2032, and between 610,000 and 1,550,000 in 2042. Meanwhile, the number of professional caregivers is projected to increase only from 660,000 this year to 800,000 by 2028.

There is also a parliamentary investigation showing that the number of new caregiver certification holders dropped from 320,000 in 2022 to 120,000 as of August last year. However, the population of late elderly people aged 75 and over who typically require care is expected to rise from 3.99 million in 2023 to 5.5 million by 2030.

The issue lies in the government's stance, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which manage visas during the operation of foreign labor. While the intention to utilize foreigners to expand care personnel is shared, the expansion of the E-9 visa requested by Seoul City is practically impossible for caregivers, as this is a field requiring professional certification.

When Seoul City attempted to hire foreigners as village bus drivers, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and others expressed reluctance. Bus drivers are professionals who must obtain a large vehicle license and drive for about a year before receiving a bus driving qualification, which does not fit the E-9 visa intended for non-professional sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and livestock.

Thus, the gap between Seoul City, which focuses on rapid labor supply, and the government, which plans a systematic mid- to long-term supply plan for fields requiring national certification, needs to be bridged. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official also expressed concern, saying, "If foreigners preparing to expand care personnel through the E-7 visa are included in the E-9 visa, controversies will inevitably arise over where they should obtain certification, how they will acquire it, and the scope of recognition."

Meanwhile, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced last year through the 'Comprehensive Foreign Resident Management Plan' that following the pilot project for foreign domestic helpers, the introduction of foreign caregivers and caregiver personnel would be pursued. Unlike caregivers, caregivers must obtain government-certified qualifications. At that time, Seoul City estimated that an additional 80,000 personnel would be needed by 2027.