NATIONAL

Korea’s wage system unlikely to allow Seoul mayor’s proposal

A recent proposal made by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to allow foreign nationals to work as babysitters seems unrealistic considering the country’s wage system, according to immigration experts.

A recent proposal made by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to allow foreign nationals to work as babysitters seems unrealistic considering the country’s wage system, according to immigration experts.

The mayor shared the proposal on social media.

“Parenting should now be respected in society. And there should be a system enabling mothers and fathers to raise their children together,” Oh wrote on Facebook, Tuesday. “Hiring foreign babysitters is a policy focusing on childrearing. It will be welcome news to those who have been reluctant to employ babysitters due to financial reasons or a lack of supply.”

Oh wrote that Hong Kong and Singapore have adopted the system since the 1970s, and both countries have seen a rise in women’s economic activities.

“It costs two to three million won a month to hire a babysitter in Korea, but it costs 380,000 to 760,000 won in Singapore,” he added, implying that an influx of foreign workers into the local market would lower employment costs.

Saying that he made the proposal during a cabinet meeting held earlier in the day, the mayor hoped the topic would be discussed at a soonto-be launched pan-government task force aimed at tackling the country’s demographic crisis.

The current immigration laws allow only foreign nationals with permanent residency, those married to Koreans and ethnic Koreans from China to be employed as babysitters.

Amid the pandemic, the demand for domestic workers who can offer childcare and other housework services has rapidly risen. According to job portal operator Mediawill Networks, the number of job ads for domestic workers surged 322.4 percent between February 2020 and January 2021, compared to before the pandemic, while supply declined, resulting in an increase in costs to hire such workers.

Against this backdrop, further opening the market to foreign nationals has emerged as a possible solution to tackle the imbalance between supply and demand and bring down employment costs.

However, experts observed that bringing in foreign nationals could be a premature move. To make it work, they said Korea would need to overhaul its wage system as well as eradicate extensive discrimination against foreign workers here.

“Discussions should begin from asking whether Korea is really prepared to welcome foreign nannies. Considering that discrimination against foreign workers is still prevalent in society, I’m worried that foreign nannies may face extremely harsh working conditions and low wages,” Moon Byung-ki, head of Korean International Migration Studies Association, told The Korea Times.

Regarding Oh’s remarks that nannies in Singapore are paid 380,000 to 760,000 won a month, Moon said, “I don’t think those figures are accurate. I believe they are paid more than that. But anyways, low employment costs are possible in Singapore because there is no minimum wage system there.”

Under Korea’s labor laws, foreign workers are guaranteed the minimum wage and are covered by the Labor Standards Act.

If the authorities are considering introducing a “different” minimum wage system for foreign nannies to lower employment costs, such a system would be discriminatory, said Moon.

“Also, it doesn’t seem like a good idea for the government to create a new visa category to attract foreign nationals to fill low-skilled jobs shunned by Koreans,” the expert said, explaining that migrant workers have already largely replaced Koreans in the so-called 3D (dangerous, difficult and dirty) jobs as well as on farms in rural regions.