"Boss, I am from Nepal. Is there any work? I have painted for a company that makes boats and have also tried injection (the process of shaping plastic materials by injecting them into molds). I don't have a visa, so it's fine if I get paid less."
A (34) from Nepal visited a labor office in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, on the 11th to seek employment. He, who is an illegal resident due to his expired visa, said, "(As an illegal resident) I can work longer without worrying about my expired visa. I used to earn 4.5 million won a month, but now I can accept only 3.5 million won."
As competition for jobs among foreigners intensifies at small manufacturing and construction companies that Korean workers do not seek, conflicts between legal and illegal residents are arising. Son (66), a boss of a labor company met that day, said, "Due to the recession, there is no work, so competition is fierce. It is quite common for illegal residents to take the spots of foreigners with visas."
An employee of a job placement agency who requested anonymity noted, "In restaurants where you work 12 hours a day, foreigners with visas earn around 3.5 million won, but illegal residents can be hired for 3 million won. Although they receive 70-80% of the wage, they (illegal residents) know it is illegal, so they do not report it."
Competition is even fiercer in the construction industry, which consists mostly of daily workers. On the 22nd of last month, a Zhuang (62) met at the labor market in Namguro Station, Seoul, said, "The construction market is not good, and there is a lack of work, but illegal residents are taking all the jobs."
A Chinese person surnamed Kim (53), who was on the way home after failing to find work, said, "As the number of illegal residents increases, daily wages have dropped. I earn 20,000 to 30,000 won less than those with a visa (per day)." A Chinese compatriot, Choi (46), who has a carpenter qualification, said, "My daily wage is 200,000 won, but illegal residents earn 150,000 to 160,000 won. If I were in their position, I would hire them too."
Kim (60), a representative of a lodging company met in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, said, "You can say that 100% of cleaning staff in the lodging industry are foreigners. We also hire two illegal residents from Mongolia through brokers, and even if we get caught in a crackdown, we can immediately receive new supplies."
Some believe that as the minimum wage increases, the demand for illegally residing workers, who are relatively cheaper, will rise. Mr. B, who runs a labor brokerage agency in Guro-dong, Seoul, said, "Nationals represent less than 1% in the entire construction sites," adding that "even Chinese workers are leaving to find part-time jobs where they can receive paid sick leave and annual leave."
He added, "Even at large apartment sites where 4,000 to 5,000 workers are deployed daily, about 20% are likely to be illegal workers."
Lee Kyu-young, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute (KLI), said, "There should be no Koreans working at construction sites or dangerous manufacturing sites receiving minimum wage. On the other hand, illegal residents work at construction sites during the day and at nursing homes at night." He noted, "This is not an issue that can be resolved simply through crackdowns and deportation; past measures to legalize (illegal residents) could serve as a solution."
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