The Working Conditions of Immigrant Workers and Their Policy Implications

Abstract

Using the 2020 Survey of Foreign Workers, this article analyzed the current working conditions of immigrant workers. The monthly wage level of immigrant workers was 211.2million won on an after-tax basis. The average working hours per week was 50.0 hours.Overall, both wage levels and working hours tended to decrease for immigrant workers. However, 11.5% of immigrant workers were found to work on holidays eight times a month. The proportion of respondents who experienced unfair dismissal in the past year was quite high at 4.7%. In addition, 2.8% of respondents were assaulted over the past year, and 3.1% of female respondents were sexually harassed or sexually assaulted. Regarding industrial accidents, 19.8% of workers experienced injuries during work in the past year, and 15.3% suffered from work-related diseases. The reasons for industrial accidents were “personal mistakes” (27.2%) and “excessively heavy loads or machines”(14.1%). Those working without labor contract accounted for 40.3% of immigrant workers. Among the remaining workers who said they were working with labor contract, 13.8% experienced breaches of contract with regard to working hours, wages, and overtime pay. Overall, assaults and human rights abuses have continued on considerable scale. The management and supervision of the labor field needs to be strengthened, and an active approach is needed to limit the placement of immigrant workers in places with poor working conditions.