Employers wishing to hire foreign workers (E-9 visa holders) are required to undergo a seven-day domestic recruitment effort before applying for an employment permit. After completing this initial step, they can apply for the permit by visiting their local employment labor office or via the Employment 24 website.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor in South Korea conducted the first round of new employment permit applications for foreign workers (E-9) for 2024 from January 29th to February 8th through local employment labor offices nationwide.

The total number of permits issued was 35,000, marking a 73.6% increase from the first round of the previous year. The permits were distributed across various sectors: 22,332 for manufacturing, 1,500 for shipbuilding, 4,209 for agriculture and livestock, 2,595 for fishing, 1,632 for construction, and 1,297 for services. An additional allocation of 20,000 permits will be made available to meet excess demand in various sectors, following the decision of the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee on December 1st last year to set the introduction of foreign workers (E-9) at a record high of 165,000.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor allocated about 30% of the annual foreign worker quota to this first round, considering the concentration of applications early in the year. Additionally, for this application period, the requirement for domestic recruitment efforts for employers in manufacturing, shipbuilding, construction, and services has been reduced from 14 to 7 days, facilitating quicker workforce replenishment. Previously, only the agriculture and fisheries sectors had a 7-day domestic recruitment requirement.

The results of the first round of employment permit applications will be announced on February 28th. The issuance will occur from February 29th to March 8th for manufacturing and shipbuilding sectors and from March 11th to 15th for agriculture, fisheries, construction, and service sectors. Additionally, the second round of new employment permit applications for this year is expected to open in late April.