89 Filipino caregivers to work in Korea for 1 more year as authorities extend pilot program

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89 Filipino caregivers to work in Korea for 1 more year as authorities extend pilot program

Published: 04 Mar. 2025, 15:30

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Caregivers from the Philippines enter Korea at Incheon International Airport on Aug. 6, 2024. [NEWS1]

A total of 89 Filipino domestic caregivers are set to work in Korea for another year after authorities agreed to extend the pilot program on Tuesday.

The caregivers' visas have been extended to three years, on top of the initial seven-month period of the program. Of the 98 caregivers who completed this period — from Sept. 3 last year to Feb. 28 — nine chose to return home due to personal reasons or child care responsibilities.

The program initially brought 100 caregivers to Korea on Aug. 6 last year under the E-9 visa for nonskilled workers, as part of a trial project jointly launched by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. However, two caregivers were deported last October after being apprehended in Busan for abandoning their jobs and going missing for several weeks.

The 89 remaining caregivers will now work at 148 households, down from the previous 185. Around 91 percent of the households that previously used the service chose to extend their contracts, and 102 additional households are on a waiting list to join.

As of March, caregivers' hourly wages have increased by 20 percent to 16,800 won ($11.5). Households with two or more children can continue using the service at the same rate without additional charges.

Nearly 70 percent of the demand for caregivers came from dual-income households, followed by families with three or more children, at around 20 percent.

The highest demand came from households in Gangnam District, Seocho District and Seongdong District, in that order. Demand also grew in Mapo District, Gangseo District and Guro District, which were newly added for the extended period.

Of the 89 caregivers, 33 chose to remain in shared housing, while the other 56 opted for separate housing, mostly in mixed-use buildings with commercial and residential spaces or low-rise apartments.

Kim Sun-soon, head of the Seoul city government’s women and family office, pledged to “meticulously manage the program during the extended period” and “work closely with the central government” to explore its expansion into an official project.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]