Tag: labor shortage

labor shortage

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Two people are seen working at a radish farm in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Dec. 22. [YONHAP]

Seoul to accept 109,100 foreign seasonal workers in 2026

Korea has decided to accept 109,100 foreign seasonal workers into the country next year under a program aimed to cope with labor shortages in sectors such as agriculture and fisheries, sources said Wednesday.

2025.12.24

Visitors examine a semiconductor wafer at the Semiconductor Exhibition held at Coex, Gangnam, in October. [NEWS1]

Chip industry faces bleak future as young talent turns to medicine

Korean chip companies, grappling with an existing shortage of workers, anticipate more severe labor challenges in the upcoming years, as a strong preference for medical schools draws promising students away from the tech industry.

2024.1.30

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A bird's-eye view of Lotte Hotel Jeju [LOTTE HOTELS & RESORTS]

Korea's hotels are full but halls are empty as industry scrambles to fix labor shortage

Hotels in Korea are experiencing dire labor shortages, especially as workers who had left the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic have not returned while demand for accommodation services has bounced back.

2023.12.24

A job fair is held at Coex in southern Seoul on May 22. [YONHAP]

More than half of SMEs willing to hire offshore software engineers amid talent shortage

More than half of small and medium-sized enterprises in Korea want to hire software developers from overseas amid a talent shortage, a survey showed Sunday. Around 75 percent of the 187 companies surveyed said they found it challenging to hire and...

2023.7.3

Shipbuilding companies are struggling to find a workforce despite securing a large number of orders. Pictured are employees working on ship construction at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Ulsan. [HD HHI]

Nine foreign workers stop reporting to work at HD HHI shipbuilders

Nine foreign workers of Thai nationality hired by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) have stopped showing up for work only a week after being hired at the shipbuilder's shipyard in Ulsan.

2023.5.24

A migrant worker in Pocheon, Gyeonggi in 2016. Small Korean manufacturers and farms as well as shipyards have been requesting the government to increase migrant workers due to labor shortage. [YONHAP]

Work visa restrictions to ease to combat labor shortages

The Employment and Labor Ministry announced Wednesday that it will raise the quota for non-professional E-9 visas to 110,000 this year, 41,000 more than in 2022.

2023.3.8

A worker welds ship components at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, on July 21. [NEWS1]

Korean shipbuilders in a jam as Vietnamese welders denied entry

Over 1,000 Vietnamese skilled workers have been denied entry to Korea due to forged documents, leaving shipbuilders short of labor just as orders are increasing.

2022.11.7

A seasonal worker from the Philippines shakes hands with a Korean farmer last April after arriving in Yanggu County, Gangwon, for temporary work. [YANGGU COUNTY OFFICE]

Foreign workers running rings around hard-up farmers

“We’re now in this really strange situation where these illegal immigrants are cherry-picking the Korean farms they want to work on."

2022.8.22

Lotte Cinema located in Mapo District, western Seoul, operates without a ticket clerk. [JEONG JIN-HO]

Now playing: Usherless theaters as workers vanish

At some cinemas in Korea, movie theaters are playing the latest hits, but ushers are nowhere to be found. "There was no one to check my ticket when I went into the theater and took a seat," said a customer who visited a theater in Songpa ...

2022.7.3

Gov't to push for speedy influx of immigrant workers to alleviate labor shortage

The government will push for a speedy influx of immigrant workers to help alleviate labor shortages in farming, fishing and other industries in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, officials said Tuesday.

2022.6.14