The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said on the 13th that it will accept new employment permit applications for foreign workers (E-9) for five days from the 24th to the 28th.
This is the fifth round of employment permit applications this year, and submissions are available through local employment and labor offices nationwide.
The size of the fifth-round new employment permits is allocated at a total of 9,326 people. By industry: ▲ manufacturing 6,530 ▲ shipbuilding 250 ▲ agriculture and livestock 940 ▲ fisheries 832 ▲ construction 178 ▲ services 596.
The ministry plans to use a flexible allocation pool of 32,000 if there is excess demand for foreign labor. The flexible allocation pool is a reserve workforce that can be adjusted in addition to the basic allocation depending on the situation of specific industries and demand for foreign labor. Each year, the government allocates a certain portion of the annual total employment permits as a flexible quota.
The "point system," which is the allocation standard for foreign workers under the employment permit system, has been revised to focus on key items with plus and minus points and has been applied since the fourth round this year. The plus-point items are: ▲ provision of dormitories (agriculture and livestock) ▲ installation and operation of high-quality dormitories ▲ ratio of long-term employees to foreign hires ▲ whether the area is designated as a population-decline region. The minus-point items are: ▲ business sites where fatal accidents occurred due to violations of occupational safety and health measures ▲ violations of labor-related laws ▲ arrears in departure maturity insurance premiums ▲ failure to meet dormitory requirements.
An employer wishing to hire foreign workers can apply for an employment permit by visiting the competent local employment and labor office after a seven-day effort to recruit domestic workers, or through the website. The results will be announced on Dec. 12.
The issuance period for employment permits by industry is: ▲ manufacturing, shipbuilding, and mining, Dec. 15–17 ▲ agriculture and livestock, fisheries, forestry, construction, and services, Dec. 18–22.