Recruiting Immigrant Workers: Korea 2019
The Korean labour migration system has expanded since the mid-2000s, primarily in
the admission of temporary foreign workers for less skilled jobs. Its temporary labour
programme, addressed largely at SMEs in manufacturing and based on bilateral agreements
with origin countries, has become the largest such programme in the OECD. Structural
changes in the labour force, with a rapidly shrinking and highly educated youth population,
keep the underlying demand for this programme strong. Yet skills levels of workers
are increasing, and there is interest in increasing Korea's share in global talent
mobility, including international students and innovative entrepreneurs. This book
addresses the question of how to ensure that international recruitment can help meet
urgent needs in the labour market which cannot be met locally, and how the temporary
labour migration programme - and other migration streams - can evolve to ensure that
Korea meets its policy objectives. This review first examines the characteristics
of the Korean labour market and main challenges where labour migration can help address
demand. Following a discussion of various programmes and procedures, the review assesses
how labour migration is playing a role in different sectors and how programme governance
could be improved. It then explores the channels for high-skilled migrants and how
these could be improved in light of international experience.
Published on January 28, 2019
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