Less than 20% of this year's E-9 migrant worker quota filled

Despite the South Korean government increasing the quota of non-professional work visas to an all-time high this year, less than 30,000 have actually been recruited so far, data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor showed Wednesday.

As of July, 29,316 foreign nationals were issued the E-9 visa for non-professional employment this year, according to the ministry data submitted to Rep. Kim Ui-sang of the ruling People Power Party. A total of 13,102 workplaces have received permits to hire workers on E-9 visas.

Last year, South Korea finalized plans to issue E-9 visas to a total of 165,000 foreign workers this year, which was more than ever before.

South Korea issues separate visas for professional and non-professional employment, with C-4 visas issued for short-term employment and E-1 through E-7 visa issued to professionals in various fields. E-8 visas are for short-term non-professional work and E-9 is for long-term work.

The ministry said such low number of foreign workers was due to fewer than expected applications filed by local enterprises. It said the recent economic slump seems to have led to less demand for foreign workers than was anticipated.

The number of E-9 visa approvals varied by industry, with 22,318 in manufacturing, 2,892 in farming, 2,633 in fisheries and 496 in construction. The newly added restaurant and accommodations sectors -- referring to hotels and other lodging -- had only 57 and 38 E-9 visas issued, respectively.