The number of migrant workers employed in Korea has surpassed 1.1 million. Across diverse industrial sites, migrant workers are already vital members underpinning our economy. Given demographic shifts and chronic labor shortages, their role is likely to grow even larger. Now is the time to fundamentally overhaul the framework of foreign workforce policy to match these changes.
Policy reform is needed in two key areas. First, foreign workers must be appropriately deployed in fields and workplaces where they are genuinely needed, while ensuring domestic workers' jobs are not undermined. On one side, businesses voice severe labor shortages and call for more foreign workers. On the other, complaints grow that there are too many migrant workers. These two voices may appear contradictory, but the issue is not actually about the size of the migrant workforce. The answer lies in more sophisticated and balanced policy design. The system must be structured so that foreign workers complement — rather than replace — domestic workers, boosting industrial competitiveness.
Second, the human rights of migrant workers must be robustly protected. There have been numerous cases where repeated human rights violations against migrant workers sparked public outrage. Ensuring that migrant workers can work safely and with dignity goes beyond mere rights protection — it elevates the credibility of our labor market and the stature of our nation. A workplace that is dangerous for migrant workers is dangerous for all of us. Building a meticulous residency support system that allows migrant workers to exercise their capabilities and work and live comfortably in both their workplaces and daily lives is critically important.
Solving these two challenges requires comprehensive management and support covering all foreign workers. When systems are fragmented by ministry or visa status, fundamental solutions remain elusive. With this awareness, the government has been operating a Foreign Workforce Integrated Support Task Force. Labor groups, business circles, experts, and relevant agencies have used the task force to diagnose the limitations of the current system and discuss directions for improving foreign workforce policy.
The key areas of consensus formed through these discussions are as follows. First, integrated policy decisions and supply-demand planning for the entire foreign workforce are needed. From a whole-labor-market perspective, authorities must precisely analyze which sectors need how many workers and establish a framework for coordinating policy through inter-ministry collaboration. Second, pathways must be created for unskilled workers to accumulate on-site experience and advance to semi-skilled and skilled levels, with expanded long-term residency opportunities for outstanding talent. This requires the skilled-worker segment of the system to be designed in an integrated and cohesive manner. Third, an integrated support system must be built to eliminate blind spots in rights protection and residency support. Regardless of visa status, necessary support — including workplace environment improvement, industrial safety, employment assistance, education and training, and counseling — must be provided in a cohesive manner.
Based on these discussions, we now intend to develop an integrated support roadmap for foreign workers. Foreign workforce policy has moved beyond the stage where piecemeal fixes to individual programs can suffice. A new policy framework is needed — one that ensures workers are appropriately deployed where needed, protects domestic jobs, and robustly safeguards the human rights of migrant workers. I hope the Foreign Workforce Integrated Support Roadmap will serve as a crucial cornerstone for enhancing the sustainability of our labor market and society, and that new systems will be refined one by one upon that foundation.