South Korea’s declining birth rate in need of ‘foreign’ housekeepers

SEOUL: As the South Korean community struggles with fewer marriages and kids, its government has come up with the idea of importing foreign domestic workers and housekeepers to aid in sharing the household burden.

According to a CNN report, as South Korea battles an aging population and fewer marriages, authorities are considering importing foreign workers to aid young couples in sharing the household burden.

On Friday, the government announced a pilot program that will allow them to bring in almost a hundred foreign domestic helpers to work in its capital, Seoul as early as December this year. According to reports, the plan will expand the number of industries and companies that are eligible to employ foreign workers to curb problems that come with an aging population, shrinking workforce, and labor shortage across different sectors, respectively.

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South Korea's declining birth rate in need of 'foreign' housekeepers | Baaghi TV

Through the program, the authorities aim to prioritize such workers to families with married couples between their 20s and 40s with dual-income, single parents, and/or multi-child families as those groups are most in demand of help with housework. Moreover, according to a news release from the Prime Minister’s office, the program is focused on easing the “burden of housework and childcare”.

According to the release, the foreign workers will need to be at least twenty-four years old and will undergo a thorough background check including animal and/or drug-related records. Additionally, the work experience, knowledge, and language proficiency skills will also be reviewed.

“Credible agencies” will place them in Korean households and monitor if the program is a success in a six-month period, added the release.

According to CNN, the burden of childcare and housework has been a rising factor in South Korea’s falling marriage and birth rates, alongside rising living costs and increasing reluctance in educated young women to choose marriage over careers. Earlier, the S. Korean government issued a report highlighting that among residents between the ages of 19 and 34, more than fifty percent said they didn’t feel the need to have a child, even after marriage. Of the participants, only 36.4 percent showed a positive inclination towards marriage citing reasons such as economic difficulties.

South Korea's declining birth rate in need of 'foreign' housekeepers | Baaghi TV

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According to a Reuters report, South Korea has been struggling with ‘chronic labor shortages’ in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Previously, the government also failed to introduce a 69-hour work week after massive criticism from the young workers.

On the other hand, prior to the new program, the government permitted foreign nationals to work in housekeeping and/or childcare under very specific visas such as long-term residents, marriage migrants, and ethnic Koreans returning from overseas. However, the latest program aims to open doors for workers including E-9 visa holders.

According to the Labor Ministry, housekeepers who commute to work are paid more than 15,000 Korean won (approximately $11.40) per hour, while those living in their employers’ homes are paid up to 4.5 million (nearly $3,415)won per month which is a lot more than young couples can afford.

South Korea's declining birth rate in need of 'foreign' housekeepers | Baaghi TV