A total of 287,424 foreign workers holding E-9 non-professional employment visas were staying in South Korea as of July, according to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor released on Wednesday.
The figure has steadily increased from 159,463 in 2021 to 203,121 in 2022, 247,191 in 2023, 271,925 in 2024 and 282,839 last year.
Manufacturing accounted for the overwhelming majority, with 229,844 workers or 80 percent of the total. Agriculture and livestock farming followed with 33,878 workers, or 11.8 percent, while 15,441 worked in fisheries and 6,724 in construction. Only 1,410 or 0.5 percent were employed in the service sector.
South Korea allows small and midsized companies that have difficulty finding local workers to hire foreign workers. The annual quota for foreign workers increased sharply after the coronavirus pandemic worsened labor shortages, rising from 69,000 in 2022 to 120,000 in 2023 and 165,000 in 2024. The quota was later cut to 130,000 last year and 80,000 this year as labor demand weakened amid the economic slowdown.
But industry-level mismatches remain pronounced. As of July, employers applied for permits to hire 38,998 foreign workers, with permits issued for 31,986, or 82 percent. In the service sector, however, only 333 of 564 applications were approved, for an issuance rate of 59 percent.
AJP Takeaways
• South Korea's E-9 foreign worker population reached a record 287,424 as of July 2026, as the country's total foreign resident population surpassed 2.9 million. The number of E-9 visa holders has risen nearly 80 percent from 159,463 in 2021, highlighting South Korea's growing reliance on foreign labor amid persistent workforce shortages.
• Manufacturing employs 80 percent of South Korea's E-9 foreign workers, making factories the biggest users of the Employment Permit System. Of the 287,424 E-9 visa holders in the country, 229,844 work in manufacturing, followed by 33,878 in agriculture and livestock farming, 15,441 in fisheries and 6,724 in construction.
• South Korea cut its 2026 E-9 foreign worker quota to 80,000 as the economy slowed, but labor shortages and industry mismatches remain. Employers received permits for 82 percent of foreign worker applications as of July, while the service sector recorded a much lower approval rate of 59 percent.
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