Indonesian ship welding experts pose for a commemorative photo with Samsung Heavy Industries officials after entering the country via Incheon International Airport, Dec. 31, 2022. Courtesy of Samsung Heavy Industries

By Kim Hyun-bin

The government plans to shorten drastically the visa administrative procedures for foreign workers employed by domestic shipbuilders from the current four months to one month as the shipbuilding industry grapples with chronic workforce shortages, officials said Friday.

The move comes as the government looks to resolve the labor shortage in the domestic shipbuilding industry. The Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding Association predicts that there will be a shortage of 14,000 production workers in the shipbuilding sector by the end of this year.

The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced a plan to resolve difficulties in introducing foreign workers to the shipbuilding industry, Friday. According to this plan, shipbuilders and subcontractors can hire up to 30 percent foreign nationals among the total number of its full-time domestic workforce. The current cap is 20 percent.

The government also plans to allocate 20 people to expedite visa procedures for the shipbuilding sector, which will allow the issuance of visas within 10 days. Currently, visa issuance takes about five weeks from pre-screening.

"We expect that administrative procedures will be expedited and the number of workers that can be introduced will increase, which will help resolve the labor shortage in the shipbuilding industry," an official from a major shipbuilder said.

A quota of 400 foreign nationals per year for the skilled workers (E-7-4) visa will also be created separately for the shipbuilding industry. The total E-7-4 quota will also be drastically increased from 2,000 to 5,000. The E-7-4 is a visa granted to foreign workers who have worked for more than five years in the field of simple labor (E-9) and meet certain requirements in Korean proficiency, income and experience. They are classified as professional workers (E-7) who are eligible for long-term employment.

Conditions for issuing a general skilled worker (E-7-3) visa to foreign nationals with specialized knowledge and skills will also be eased. International students who have graduated from a shipbuilding-related department at a domestic university can be exempted from verification of practical skills when applying for an E-7-3 visa.

In the case of shipbuilding, welders, painters and electricians fall under E-7-3. In addition, the government will also allow the issuance of an E-7 visa to foreign trainees with a high school diploma or higher who received technical training at a domestic education institution.

"Through these measures, the process of introducing foreign workers, which takes a total of four months, will be shortened to one month in the future," a government official said.