South Korea | 2026 quota set for nonprofessional foreign workers

The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced a quota of 191,000 foreign workers designated “nonprofessional” in 2026, including 80,000 workers under the Employment Permit System and 109,000 seasonal workers.

Key Points:

• The quota of foreign workers has been set to 80,000 to meet industry demands using the Employment Permit System, or E-9 visa. The quota is further broken down as:
  • 50,000 workers in manufacturing
  • 10,000 workers in agriculture and livestock
  • 7,000 workers in fisheries
  • 2,000 workers in construction
  • 1,000 workers in the service sector
• The quota of seasonal workers has been set to 109,000, an increase of 13,000 workers from the 2025 quota, to ease chronic labor shortages caused by population decline and aging populations in rural communities. This quota falls under the E-8 visa.
• Additional visa reserves are available to respond to demand fluctuations.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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