The South Korean government has initiated a pilot program aimed at getting more young people interested in marriage. The effort will see 100 foreign domestic workers start work in Seoul as early as December. This move is due to an aging population, reducing workforce and labor shortages in various sectors. The government will also expand the number of industries and companies that can hire foreign workers.
The pilot program gives priority to sending foreign domestic workers to dual-income couples (in their 20s-40s), single-parent households, and families with multiple children due to their high demand for housework help. It aims to alleviate the burden of housework and childcare. Foreign housekeepers must be at least 24, undergo background checks (including any criminal or drug-related records) and will be assessed on work experience, knowledge, and language proficiency.
South Korean households will receive helpers via “credible agencies”, as part of a six-month program aimed at reducing the load of child care and housework. This is reportedly due to these factors contributing to the nation’s declining marriage and birth rates alongside increasing living costs and a hesitation amongst educated women to pause their careers.
A government report revealed that over half of South Korea’s residents aged 19 to 34 do not see the need to have a child, even post-marriage. Furthermore, only 36.4% of the respondents had a positive opinion of marriage, largely due to economic difficulties. This declining interest in marriage and childbirth is worsening the country’s population crisis with a shrinking workforce, escalating the existing economic issues. South Korea has been facing chronic labor shortages in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
The government proposed increasing the work hour cap from 52 to 69 weekly to address a workforce shortage, but faced backlash from young workers. Some politicians suggested importing foreign workers to reduce the burden on young couples and parents. Last year, Seoul’s mayor declared that the country was moving towards “population extinction” rather than just population decline, and proposed importing foreign workers in a cabinet meeting.
[sourcelink link=”https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/01/asia/south-korea-migrant-domestic-worker-intl-hnk/index.html”]
