Yoon Jin-shik, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), proposed that foreign labor and immigration policy should be developed to pursue sustainable economic growth for Korea.
KITA said on the 13th that it held the 'Forum on Transition to Korean-Style Foreign Labor and Immigration Policy' at the Trade Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
The forum was arranged to proactively respond to the decline in the working-age population caused by low birth rates and aging, and to explore the mid- to long-term direction of foreign labor and immigration policy suited to Korea's industrial and social conditions.
The event was attended by about 100 domestic and international experts and stakeholders, including Chairman Yoon and Kang Min-hwi, head of the Republic of Korea office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In his opening address, Yoon said, "Foreign labor and immigration policy is a task directly linked to industrial competitiveness and the foundation for Korea's sustainable economic growth, going beyond the dimension of labor supply and demand." He added, "We must generate policy attention and build an institutional foundation so that companies can stably secure the talent they need and skilled workers can continuously demonstrate their capabilities."
The forum proceeded in the order of: foreign labor policy cases in major countries such as the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and Germany; the results of a survey on foreign labor utilization in the domestic trade industry and directions for policy transition; and an expert discussion.
The invited overseas experts who gave presentations stressed that the performance of foreign labor policy depends less on the scale of inflow than on organically linking settlement processes such as education, employment, skill formation, and changes in residency status after entry.
Anna Maria Mayda, a professor at Georgetown University in the United States, introduced a phased talent attraction structure that selects talent drawn in through study abroad and temporary employment according to labor market demand and connects them to long-term stay. Gracia Liu-Farrer, a professor at Waseda University, added that Japan has developed a structure in which foreign workers skilled through in-company education and on-site training go on to settle, and said Korea should also link skill accumulation and transition.
There was also advice on private brokerage and building an institutional foundation. Yun-Hsiang Hsu, a professor at National Central University in Taiwan, pointed out the high costs and problems of turnover and departure behind the rapid supply of labor through public-private brokerage institutions, and explained that private-sector efficiency and the reliability of public management must be combined. Herbert Brücker, a professor at Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany, cited immigration as a key means of responding to labor force decline, and called for an integrated settlement system linking qualification recognition, vocational training, language education, and employment support.
The actual state of foreign labor utilization in the domestic trade industry was also highlighted. According to a survey conducted by KITA and the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation covering 10,040 companies in the domestic trade industry, 73.4% of companies employing foreigners answered that foreign workers have a positive impact on corporate activities. In particular, the dominant response was that foreign workers "complement processes and tasks avoided by domestic workers" (44.2%) rather than "replace domestic workers" (16.2%). Foreign workers are playing an essential complementary role in the industry.
Companies cited the improvement of visa issuance and change procedures, matching of personnel suited to jobs, job-focused education, and building a foundation for the long-term utilization of skilled workers as tasks for improvement related to foreign labor.
Lee Kyu-yong, senior research fellow at the Korea Labor Institute, said, "Korea's policy must also move away from inflow management focused on 'who and how many to accept' and shift to a utilization-centered strategy that designs together the skill formation and career development of foreign workers, transitions in residency, and regional settlement."
