The workers will be transferred right away to the employment training institute (Incheon Vocational Training Institute) upon arrival at the airport. The workers will be assigned to a workplace after completing the 3-day courses, provided to help the workers adapt to Korea.

During their stay in the employment training institute, workers will first undergo physical examination, and then learn about basic information on living in Korea, EPS-related laws, basic skills, industrial safety & health, and other areas that will be helpful for carrying out their work in Korea.

The tuition fee (KRW 189,000) will be covered by the employer. KRW 80,000 of the tuition fee supported by the Employment Insurance Fund.

The foreign workers that arrived are well educated high-quality workers, majority of them holding college degrees.

The average age of the workers is 31.5 (36 in their 20's, and 58 in their 30's), and all of them have a high school degree (28 with high school degree, and 66 with college degree). As for the sex ratio, 72 are male, and 22 are female.

The government (public) agency of the labor sending country receives job applications through a formal and open process, and selects the workers based on the objective criteria Korea suggested, e.g. Korean proficiency, age, work experience, physical examination result, and etc.

Before their entry into Korea, the workers received 100 hours or more of preliminary training in Korean language and etc, to improve their vocational ability and adapt to the working environments of Korea from TESDA (Technical Education and Skill Authority), a training institute designated by the Philippines Government.
The courses for the preliminary training conducted before entry, consist of 48 hours of Korean Language, 8 hours of Understanding Korean Culture, 32 hours of Skills Training, and etc.

As the public agency of the labor sending country is in charge of the sending processes, and as job referral and the conclusion of the labor contract are done online,

The total sending cost (including air fare) per person is reduced to $490 (KRW 588,000).

The sending cost consists of actual expenses, including air fare, preliminary training, physical examination, and passport/visa issuance expenses

The workers can enter Korea within one month from applying, making it possible to fulfill the needs of the job seekers and Korean employers at the same time.

The sending cost under the Industrial Trainee System (for the Philippines) is around $980, and the process required is 2~6 months.

The wage (basic wage, etc) is set at the minimum wage level (approximately KRW 640,000). When overtime/extended work/night-time work allowances are included, the average monthly wage is estimated at around KRW 1 million.


Thirteen companies employing these foreign workers via the EPS, are small to mid-sized manufacturers in Bucheon, Ansan, and Uijeongbu region.

These are companies offering typical 3D jobs e.g. injection molding, dyeing, furniture making, etc, which often confront difficulties in finding native workers.

Some companies implementing the Industrial Trainee System have requested for the permission to convert to the EPS to employ foreign workers.

Samwon Metal Co., a bulb injection molding company, once utilized 23 industrial employees, but converted to the EPS this time.


The Ministry of Labor (MOL) has conducted continuous monitoring for the smooth implementation of the EPS.

The MOL has already received the list of 10,129 job seekers from 6 countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

It expected that the MOL will receive the job seeker pool (approximately 50,000 in total), two times larger than the total quota of 25,000 persons by next month.

As of Aug. 25, the Confirmation of Labor Shortage has been issued to 1,078 companies (2,145 employers) in total. Of these employers, a total of 1,130 have been issued with the Employment Permit and are now making preparations for the entry of foreign workers.