Fisheries industry suffers migrant labor shortage due to COVID-19 entry restrictions
gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeThe fisheries industry here, which has traditionally relied heavily on immigrant workers, is suffering a serious labor shortage due to the government's entry restrictions on countries where workers usually come from ― such as Indonesia ― amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.According to the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (Suhyup), only 69 immigrant workers have come to Korea after acquiring E-9 non-professional employment visas, which are issued under the employment permit system in the first half of the year. This accounted for only 2.3 percent of the 3,000 workers expected by the fishing industry. E-9 visa holders are allowed to work on fishing vessels less than 20 tons in size.Suhyup noted that government-imposed virus-related regulations have almost completely halted the issuance of E-10 visas, which have been easier to acquire compared to E-9 visas and allow foreign workers to work on fishing vessels of more than 20 tons.“Fishing villages here need about 15,000 foreign workers, but the number of the workers who are actually workin
