Seoul’s Filipino caregiver initiative draws surge of interest from affluent Gangnam

Social Affairs

Seoul’s Filipino caregiver initiative draws surge of interest from affluent Gangnam

Published: 14 Aug. 2024, 15:38 Updated: 14 Aug. 2024, 15:47

SEO JI-EUN
seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr

Filipino domestic caregivers arrive at Incheon International Airport on Aug. 6. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Seoul's new pilot program for Filipino domestic caregivers is drawing significant interest from the country's most prosperous neighborhood, Gangnam, possibly because its inhabitants are among the few families able to afford the higher-than-anticipated costs of hiring foreign nannies.

The program, set to launch early next month, is a key initiative to alleviate the burden of raising children and address the nation’s plummeting birthrate.

Out of the 751 households that applied, 318 — about 43 percent — are located in southern Seoul’s Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa districts, collectively known as the "Gangnam 3 Districts," synonymous with wealth and high living standards.

The high concentration of applicants in Gangnam is believed to be influenced by the higher-than-anticipated costs of employing foreign caregivers. These workers will earn Korea’s minimum hourly wage, currently set at 9,860 won ($7.25). For an eight-hour workday, this amounts to a monthly salary of approximately 2.38 million won, nearly half the median income for a three-person household in Korea. This is more than double the salaries paid in Hong Kong and Singapore, while about 20 percent cheaper than hiring a domestic worker through private companies.

Dual-income households make up the largest percentage of applicants at 62.3 percent, followed by multi-child families at 20.6 percent, pregnant women at 13.9 percent and single-parent households at 3.2 percent. Households with one child account for 44.5 percent of applicants, while those with two children make up 34.8 percent and those with three or more children represent 6.1 percent. Of the applicants, 62.7 percent have children under the age of 36 months.

While these Filipino workers are primarily tasked with child care — including tasks like bottle-feeding, preparing baby food, bathing, picking up children and putting them down for naps — they may also take on certain “incidental” household chores for other cohabiting family members. Duties include laundry, dishwashing and simple bathroom cleaning, but garbage disposal, cooking for adults, hand-cleaning floors and organizing storage are off-limits.

The standards have sparked debate over the scope of these additional chores “related to child care,” along with concerns that such foreign workers may find it difficult to refuse extra tasks. The Philippine government has said it has been clear on the need to ensure the rights and benefits of its caregivers. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, plans to establish a complaint-handling center during the pilot program to address any grievances and monitor user satisfaction throughout the program.

Beyond child care, the English proficiency of the Filipino caregivers has captured the attention of Gangnam parents. Online communities frequented by Gangnam parents have buzzed with discussions about the potential educational benefits for their children's English education — a trend that reflects a growing desire to position their children advantageously in a globalized world.

"For Gangnam parents, who find that hiring multiple domestic workers isn’t much of a burden, it seems they are willing to pay a premium for helpers who are college-educated and can teach good English," one user wrote.

"Parents around me are particularly interested in hiring a Filipino caregiver as they think it might be a more cost-effective way [to boost their child's English skills] than sending children abroad for study," wrote another user.

On Aug. 6, 100 Filipino domestic workers arrived in Korea as part of the pilot program, launched by the Labor Ministry and the Seoul city government, and modeled after similar initiatives in Hong Kong and Singapore.

These workers, the first to enter the country under the E9 visa, are currently undergoing training and will start working in Korean households on Sept. 3 for the next six months, specifically in households with children aged 12 or under.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]