The Ministry of Employment and Labor on May 15 announced an expansion of the Employment Permit System for foreign workers with the E-9 (non-professional employee) visa to include jobs in parcel delivery, restaurants, hotels and condominiums. (iClickArt) *Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution of this photo is prohibited under copyright law.)

By Lee Jihae

Foreign workers with the E-9 (non-professional work) visa are now allowed to work in jobs like waiting tables at restaurants or sorting parcels for courier services, two sectors suffering from a chronic labor shortage.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor on May 15 said a meeting of its Foreign Workforce Policy Committee decided on this after finalizing and releasing a plan to streamline and support the operation of the Employment Permit System (EPS) in the service sector.

The scope of jobs and work that E-9 holders can perform will be expanded in parcel delivery, restaurants, hotels and condominiums.

First, the types of work allowed for kitchen assistants were expanded to serving to resolve the labor shortage of small business owners in the sector.

Jobs in the courier sector were also expanded to sorting items in addition to loading and unloading.

A pilot program for foreign cleaners and kitchen assistants at hotels and condominiums will be expanded in phases, and is accepting applications from four local governments including Seoul and Busan.

To resolve the chronic labor shortage in the service sector, a new EPS was applied to the parcel industry in September 2023 and the service sector spanning restaurants, hotels and condominiums in April last year.

jihlee08@korea.kr