Infrastructure and Service

<SESSION 4: Labour migration infrastructure and services in destination countries>

for
KOREA EPS Worker in Republic of
Korea
Infrastructure and Support service for EPS workers in

January 29, 2015

The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (
ADBI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Directors, or the governm
ents they represent. ADBI does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included i
n this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Ter
minology used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.
0

1. Overview of Foreign Workers Policies of Republic of

Korea

1-1. No. of foreign workers in Republic of Korea (as of

Nov. 2014)

Foreigners: 1,756,000 foreign residents in total

Foreign workforce: more than 852,000 workers in total
- Professional/skilled workforce (E-1 to E-7): 49,372 workers
- Unskilled workforce (E-9, H-2, E-10): 567,084 workers
- Others: 437,796 persons

1-2. Who are EPS Workers

No. of EPS Workforce (E-9)
No . o f r ec ei v ed w o r k er s
No . o f s o j o u r n i n g w o r k er s

134
52
14.3

85
34.7

49.6

By country

160

158

178

72.0
1.7

3.4

189

4.8

By gender

Viet Nam

Unit: 1,000 persons

176

5.7

191

6.2

13.1%

Indonesia

12.9%

Sri Lanka

9.5%

Nepal

9.4%

Male
91.8%

5.3

By industry

15.5%

Cambodia

215

Female
8.2%

Manu
-facturing
84.0%

Agriculture
&livestock
(9.0%)
Construction
(4.4%)
Fishery
(2.5%)
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1-3. Introduction of EPS

Introduction of ITS

Introduction of EPS

- Irregularities in sending process

- High rate of illegal stay
ITS

Private sending agencies

Trainee
80% of illegal stay (03)

Abolishment of ITS
Integration into EPS
EPS

Public sending agencies

Employee
15.8% of illegal stay (as of June 14)

Transparency & fair sending process, Improved rights and interests, Reduction of social costs

For Foreign workforce:

Job opportunities
More than 215,000 workers
from 15 sending countries

For Employers in
Republic of Korea:
Ease labor shortages
in more than 64,000 SMEs

2. Infrastructure of EPS
Policy Decision Making : Foreign Workforce Policy Committee

Policy planning : 11 government ministries, including MOEL, MOJ

Policy enforcement : 47 nationwide job centers, HRD Korea, KEIS

Workers support : 38 nationwide support centers and a call center,

and job training centers.
Employer support : Entrusting agencies, education centers for employers

3. Support Service for EPS worker

Efforts to protect the rights of foreign workers in Republic of Korea

Protection of human rights throughout the process

Entry Employment Return

A. Entry: Fairer and more transparent job opportunities

& Adaptation assistance
B. Employment & Sojourn: Creation of more favorable environment
C. Return: Support for smooth reintegration process

A. Support for Entry Step

Objectives: Fairer and more transparent job opportunities &
Better adaptation to living in Republic of Korea

Fairer and more transparent selection process (G2G)

Employment Training before beginning of work in Republic of
Korea
- Length of Training: 2 nights 3 days (20 hrs in total)
- Training contents: Conversational Korean, Counseling procedures, relevant Korean laws and
regulations such as the Labor Standards Act and Occupation Safety and Health Act
- Cost: Employers

B. Support for Employment & Sojourn Step

Objectives: Creation of more favorable environment
Equal application of labor laws
by Monitoring & Regular Inspections on 3 to 4 thousand workplaces
Resolution of workplace Difficulty and conflict
by Nation-wide support centers (38) & counseling center (1)
Applying for foreign workers insurance (signed up by employer)
- Departure Guarantee Insurance : Safeguard for severance payment
- Wage Guarantee Insurance : Prevention overdue wage
Job competency enhancement
by free job training

C. Support for Returning Step

Objectives: Support for smooth reintegration process
Various Return program presentation
Support for Returnee Network

Job matching service (Returnee + Korean companies in home countries)

- Job fairs
- Return Job site (http://eps.hrdkorea.or.kr)
Re-entry opportunities for voluntary returnees

Th a n k Y o u
9