South Chungcheong Province is pushing to bring in 2,500 seasonal workers from Laos next year to ease farm labor shortages.
Kim Tae-heum, governor of South Chungcheong Province, who is visiting Laos, met with Laos Minister Phosai Saa Son of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare in Vientiane on the 18th to discuss ways to expand seasonal workers.
At the meeting, Governor Kim said, "Laotian seasonal workers in the province are pure and diligent and are well regarded by residents," adding, "We will guarantee a 35-hour workweek and do our best to improve anything unfavorable to seasonal workers."
He added, "To ensure seasonal workers' income, we are improving the system so they can work 5 to 6 days a week. We will assess total demand for seasonal workers and coordinate schedules so there are no idle periods," and said, "About 1,800 Laotian seasonal workers are currently in the province, and we plan to increase the number to 2,500 next year."
In response, Minister Saa Son expressed gratitude for the plan to expand Laotian seasonal workers, saying, "We will complement issues raised during the dispatch of seasonal workers and do our best to send even better seasonal workers."
After signing an agreement in Dec. 2022 with Laos to invigorate exchanges and strengthen friendly cooperation, South Chungcheong Province has brought in a total of 2,712 Laotian seasonal workers: 118 in 2023, 742 last year, and 1,852 through November this year.
An official from South Chungcheong Province said, "To improve living convenience for foreign workers, we opened dormitories in Buyeo and Cheongyang this year," adding, "We plan to expand dormitories sequentially to Gongju and Nonsan next year."