By You Soo-sun
The government will cut the maximum legal employment period for workers from overseas hired under the Employment Permit System (EPS) to 10 years from the current 14 years and six months.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Thursday it will seek to revise related decrees in order to reduce the maximum stay of migrant workers on E9 non-professional employment visas.
Its decision comes amid growing conflict between Koreans and migrant workers, leading the former to demand stronger protection of their jobs and wages.
Under the EPS provisions regarding re-entering Korea, migrant workers are able to extend their stay here for up to 14 and a half years.
If they work at one place for four years and 10 months, they may re-enter Korea after taking a three-month leave and work for that same period of time. If they pass a Korean language exam after, they are able to stay an additional four years and 10 months.
With the revision, they will only be able to stay up to 10 years in total.
Tension has escalated in recent years as the number of migrant workers and their rate of return here have increased at an alarming rate.
Last year, 17,551 migrant workers re-entered Korea, up from 3,355 in 2012. The number as of the end of July stood at 11,268 and is likely to top 20,000 by the end of the year.
Increases in foreign workforce are often linked with concerns they will reduce wages and job opportunities for middle aged and elderly Koreans.
According to research by the Korea Labor Institute, a 1 percent increase in employment of migrant workers is associated with a 1.1 percent decline in wages of Korean employees.
Such concerns have left many Korean workers feeling threatened by the growing presence of foreign workers here.
This move is seen as an effort by the government to boost the number of jobs for Koreans and protect their wages.
However, it is likely to draw fierce backlash for going against global trends and creating a further hostile environment for migrant workers.
The EPS has also been long criticized for causing many human rights violations.
The migrant workers affected under the EPS come from 15 Central and South Asian countries, with most coming from China. They make up the single largest foreign demographic in Korea.