On May 8, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong visited a seasonal foreign labor site in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, to assess working conditions and announce the agricultural labor supply plan for the busy farming season.
This year, the government has allocated a total of 104,000 foreign workers for the agricultural sector, including 94,000 seasonal workers and 10,000 under the employment permit system. This measure aims to alleviate the ongoing labor shortage, which has seen over 60% of agricultural labor demand concentrated during specific periods.
The new measures will significantly expand public seasonal labor programs. The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation will directly employ workers and supply them to small farms on a daily basis, increasing the number of operational sites from 91 last year to 142 this year, and expanding the workforce from 3,067 to 5,039.
Additionally, the government plans to promote a 'contract-based seasonal labor' system, allowing qualified corporations to utilize seasonal workers for agricultural tasks. To facilitate the swift deployment of foreign workers, a dedicated team will operate at immigration offices, along with a 'mobile fingerprint registration service.'
Support for domestic labor will also be enhanced. The subsidy for workers supplied through rural labor brokerage centers will be increased, raising transportation costs from a maximum of 10,000 won to 20,000 won per day, and accommodation costs from 20,000 won to 30,000 won.
The government aims to encourage domestic labor influx by providing agricultural job information through private recruitment platforms and expanding assistance programs in collaboration with businesses and public institutions.
During the busy farming season, the government will operate a 'special task force for labor support.' From April 9 to June 30, the task force will monitor labor supply and wage trends weekly in 35 major fruit and vegetable producing cities and counties, sharing labor pools from nearby regions as needed.
Minister Song Mi-ryeong stated, "We will strengthen communication with the field to prevent labor shortages during the busy farming season and establish a close collaboration system with relevant agencies."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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