South Korea turns to foreign caregivers amid labor shortage

In April, the Japanese government allowed foreign care workers to make home visits, easing earlier rules that restricted them to working inside care facilities. As home-based medical services expanded, demand for elder care at home grew, leaving Japan with little choice but to rely more heavily on foreign labor. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare forecasts a shortage of about 690,000 care workers by 2040.

Japan first tried to meet its care workforce needs domestically before turning abroad. In 2008, it began accepting foreign caregivers under the Economic Partnership Agreement, although only a small number entered through the program. The shift came in 2019, when Japan designated caregiving as a “specified skill No. 1” occupation, a move that sharply expanded the entry of foreign workers. Individuals with required qualifications, including Japanese language proficiency, were allowed to begin working at care facilities immediately and stay for up to five years. By the end of last year, about 44,000 foreign caregivers had entered Japan under this system. Early arrivals were mostly from Vietnam, but the workforce has since broadened to include workers from Indonesia, Myanmar, and Nepal.

How does South Korea compare, given that its population is aging even faster? A 2023 report by the National Health Insurance Service found that of the 34,929 caregivers working in long-term care hospitals, 46.4 percent were foreign. At first glance, the figure suggests that South Korea actively employs foreign caregivers, but most are ethnic Koreans from China. Unlike Japan or Hong Kong, South Korea has not developed a systematic pathway to train or formally recruit foreign caregivers. With 79 percent of these workers aged 60 and older, long-term employment is difficult to sustain.

The government has recently taken steps to train foreign caregivers. Last year, it revised visa rules to allow foreign students graduating from South Korean universities to work as certified care workers. This year, 24 universities across the country were designated as training centers for foreign care workers. Regional assemblies in Gyeonggi, North Chungcheong, and Busan have also urged the government to formally introduce foreign caregivers into the labor market.

A key challenge for South Korea is that global competition for foreign care workers is expected to intensify. Taiwan began accepting foreign caregivers more than 30 years ago, and Hong Kong and Singapore have advantages because language barriers are lower. China is another major factor. As its population ages rapidly, China is projected to face a severe caregiver shortage, leading some analysts to warn that it could become “Asia’s caregiver black hole.” A long-term care hospital official in North Gyeongsang Province said, “Even ethnic Koreans from China who want to work as caregivers are becoming difficult to find.”

Attracting skilled foreign caregivers will require improving conditions in the domestic care market. Although more than 3 million South Koreans hold care worker certification, only about 700,000 work in the field. Low wages and difficult working conditions have reinforced the perception that caregiving is a low-paid job primarily for middle-aged women. Relying on foreign workers to fill roles that domestic workers avoid is not a sustainable approach.

Care is one of the sectors least suited to replacement in the age of artificial intelligence. Technology can support certain tasks, but much of the work depends on human labor. A systematic workforce strategy is essential. South Korea needs a clear plan that balances domestic training with the recruitment of foreign workers. Developing semiconductor talent and training medical professionals are important national goals, but ensuring quality of life at the end of life ultimately depends on the people who provide hands-on care.