The government has decided to include hall serving in the duties of foreign workers under the Employment Permit System (E-9), who were only allowed to be kitchen assistants in restaurants. This comes in response to requests for improvements from restaurant owners during a trial period lasting about a year. Additionally, foreign workers in the delivery industry on E-9 visas, who could only perform loading and unloading tasks, will now also be allowed to classify goods.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 15th that it held a meeting of the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee and confirmed the 'Improvement and Support Measures for the Employment Permit System in the Service Industry' containing these details.
The Employment Permit System is a system that allows small businesses struggling to hire domestic workers to employ foreign workers. The target industries include manufacturing, agriculture and fisheries, service, shipbuilding, and construction.
The improvements confirmed by the government that day target the delivery, restaurant, and hotel condominium industries within the service industry. These sectors were not included in the service industry until now, but since 2023, they have been able to employ foreign workers through a phased pilot project.
Under the improvement measures, foreign workers in restaurants will also be allowed to perform hall serving duties. This takes into account the continuity between hall serving and kitchen assistant duties. Previously, the restaurant industry could only assign kitchen assistant tasks to foreign workers. There were concerns that limiting the scope of work for restaurant owners hindered operations. Setting and clearing tables in the hall is also considered an extension of kitchen assistant duties.
Additionally, the government has decided to add classification tasks to the duties of foreign workers in the delivery industry. Previously, foreign workers in delivery could only perform loading and unloading tasks. As a result, delivery companies expressed difficulties in distinguishing between classification of goods and loading/unloading, as these processes are interconnected.
Furthermore, the government plans to expand the recruitment areas for foreign workers in the hotel and condominium industry. Since April of last year, it had been provisionally allowed only in four areas: Seoul, Gangwon, Jeju, and Busan, but considering equity among regions, it will accept applications for other areas if they wish to participate.
Bang Gi-seon, chairperson of the Foreign Workforce Policy Committee, noted, "Recently, small business owners and those in the service industry have commonly cited labor shortages as their biggest challenge," and said, "We will strive to ensure that the introduction of foreign workers is carried out while considering the impact on domestic job opportunities in a balanced manner as we monitor the effects of these improvements."