"86.8% of Small and Medium Enterprises Satisfied with Employment Permit System... Korean Language Skills Need Improvement"

86.8% of SMEs Satisfied with Employment Permit System
Main Complaint: "Lack of Korean Language Skills Among Foreign Workers"

It was found that 86.8% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are satisfied with the current Employment Permit System. On the other hand, the main complaint about foreign workers was identified as 'lack of Korean language proficiency.'

According to the '2025 Employment Permit System Satisfaction Survey' released by the Korea Federation of SMEs on the 15th, 86.6% of all respondent companies were satisfied with the current Employment Permit System. This survey was conducted from January to March targeting 1,177 SMEs that utilized foreign labor through employment permits last year.

Complaints arising during the policy and system operation process included ▲complex application procedures (31.6%) ▲long time taken from application to entry (22.1%) ▲workplace change system (12.3%), among others. In particular, companies experiencing work gaps due to workplace changes in the early stages of entry expressed the need to strengthen change requirements, such as setting mandatory working periods for foreign workers.

Satisfaction with foreign workers was also high at 79.1%. While respondents generally expressed satisfaction with foreign workers’ entry schedules and nationalities, the main dissatisfaction factors were ▲lack of Korean language skills (61.7%) ▲low productivity and attendance issues (18.4%) ▲unreasonable demands for workplace changes (12.9%).

Especially on-site, voices were heard such as, "Even if workers have high EPS-TOPIK (Employment Permit System - Test of Proficiency in Korean) scores, actual communication is difficult, making it hard to trust the scores," and "It is challenging due to workers who engage in slowdowns and try to change to workplaces they prefer." Additionally, there were opinions like, "The dual administrative system between employment centers and immigration offices reduces the efficiency of foreign labor application tasks such as re-employment applications."

Lee Myung-ro, Head of the Workforce Policy Division at the Korea Federation of SMEs, said, "Overall satisfaction with the Employment Permit System among SMEs is high, and many SMEs are alleviating chronic labor shortages in the era of low birthrates and aging by utilizing foreign workers. It is necessary to make further efforts to improve the system so that foreign workers with excellent Korean language skills and work attitudes can be actively utilized in SME workplaces, thereby enhancing both work efficiency and productivity."

Meanwhile, the Korea Federation of SMEs plans to conduct the second round of 2025 Employment Permit System applications from the 21st to the 29th, following the first round in February.