The recruitment process for housekeeping and childcare helpers in the Philippines, introduced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Seoul Metropolitan Government this year, has begun in earnest.
The Philippine government is expected to complete the recruitment process by next month, and considering the curriculum in Korea, it is expected to start activities in Korea around September.
It is expected that wages will be set at the minimum wage or higher. As a result, the Minimum Wage Committee, which will begin on the 21st, is expected to spark discussions on the differential application of care services.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 19th, the Philippine government issued an announcement earlier this month to select housekeeping managers to work in Korea.
This project is a pilot project in which the Seoul Metropolitan Government will introduce foreign domestic and childcare helpers for dual-income couples, and 100 people will be introduced this year.
The Philippine government has decided to complete the selection of housekeeping managers on the 21st of next month (June).
The qualification requirements are those who have a childcare certificate between the ages of 24 and 38.
The selected personnel will enter Korea on a foreign worker visa (E-9). It is expected that September will be the time when Filipino housekeepers will be put into households in Seoul.
Dual-income couples in their 20s and 40s and single-parent families living in Seoul can apply for employment as housekeepers in the Philippines.
During the six-month pilot project, Filipino housekeepers work at least 30 hours per week. If the minimum wage (9,860 won) is applied this year, it is guaranteed at least 1.54 million won per month.
It costs about 2.06 million won for a 40-hour workweek. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to invest 150 million won to support domestic helpers.
The argument that the minimum wage needs to be applied differentially to care services while actively increasing the number of foreign care workers to meet the care needs needed for low birth and ageing is gaining strength.
The business community is expected to demand that the minimum wage be applied differently. On the other hand, labour circles insist on abolishing the differential application clause, which is expected to cause pain in future discussions.
