Gov't to allow employment of foreign nationals at logistics companies

Delivery workers load parcels onto trucks at a logistics hub in Seoul in this March 17, 2020 photo. Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

The government will allow the employment of foreign nationals at logistics companies for tasks limited to sorting parcels and loading them onto trucks, as part of its response to the chronic labor shortage in the industry.

The Ministry of Justice made a prior announcement about a revision to the enforcement ordinance of the Immigration Control Act, Tuesday, on expanding the category of workplaces allowing foreign nationals with the H-2 working visit visa, which is issued to certain overseas Koreans aged 25 or older.

Under the current measures, H-2 visa holders can be hired in 39 designated industry categories, such as manufacturing, livestock and fisheries in workplaces with less than 300 employees.

The revision will expand the category of available workplaces for them to include logistics hubs, fruit and vegetable wholesale centers, meat transportation and mining.

The ministry noted that the tasks for foreign workers in the logistics industry will be limited to loading and unloading at sub terminals.

The government decision comes amid growing calls from logistics companies to ease regulations on hiring foreign nationals in order to resolve manpower shortages, which are due to the intense workload of the job.

Local labor groups had been against the plan to allow foreign workers in the industry, saying that improvement of the poor working conditions at logistics firms should be the priority. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, for its part, had opposed the revision out of concern that an influx of foreign labor could decrease job opportunities for Korean nationals.

In response to the ministry's announcement, foreign workers' communities insisted that inclusion of migrant workers should follow the establishment of a safe working environment without industrial accidents or excessive workloads.

The logistics industry has drawn scrutiny for its harsh working conditions and heavy workloads, with deaths of several couriers reported due to apparent overwork.

“Including migrant workers in the job sector should be done after establishing a safe working environment, as all workers, regardless of their nationality, shouldn't be put at risk of industrial accidents or overwork,” said Ko Gi-bok, head of the Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea.

Shekh al Mamun, a senior member of the migrant workers' union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said, “During past discussions with the labor ministry on including foreign workers in the logistics sector, we stressed that foreign workers should be hired in the industry only after labor issues regarding the deaths from apparent overwork are resolved.”

The justice ministry plans to collect opinions from experts and the public on the matter until April 26, after which the scheme will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting.