Home > National > Social Affairs

Foreign housekeepers under gov't pilot project overworked, underpaid: Poll

Published: 17 Jan. 2026, 15:10

Foreign housekeepers who came to Korea under a pilot project of the Seoul metropolitan government attend a hearing on the project on Sept. 24, 2024. [NEWS1]

Foreign housekeepers employed locally under a government pilot project launched two years ago were severely underpaid and had to do extra work that was not agreed upon, a survey showed on Saturday.

In September 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched its foreign maid pilot program and allowed the entry of 100 people, mostly from Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, to work as housekeepers at more than 150 households in the city.

The project, which ended in December last year, was aimed at tackling the shortage of locals willing to work as maids and to support women in continuing their careers.

According to the survey, respondents said they received an average of 1.92 million won ($1,303) in monthly wages during the first six months of the project.

The amount is less than half the average monthly payment received by Koreans in 2024, which was 3.74 million won.

When deducting costs, such as residential expenses and insurance payments, their net monthly wages were only 1.18 million won, the survey showed.

Some respondents said they were requested to complete tasks outside their job descriptions, including washing the dishes, caring for pets and tutoring kids in English.

“We must [...] re-evaluate the value of child care, recognize the economic value of housekeeping labor and foster a virtuous cycle of providing high quality housekeeping services and jobs,” said Prof. Lee Mi-ae of Jeju National University, who conducted the survey.

The survey was conducted on 21 housekeepers in their 20s and 30s from the Philippines and two of their translators from April to May 2025 and published in a journal by the Korean Association for Immigration Policy and Administration.

Yonhap