South Korea faces labor shortages in integrated community care

South Korea is facing significant labor shortages in its integrated community care system, which aims to support elderly citizens in their own homes. The Korea Practical Nurse Association (KPNA) has expressed support for recent legislative amendments proposed by both major political parties to address these gaps. KPNA President Kwak Ji-yeon emphasized that the success of the system depends on utilizing existing skilled personnel, specifically calling for the active inclusion of nursing assistants in the integrated care framework to support medical-deficient areas like rural regions.

Simultaneously, the private sector is attempting to mitigate the shortage of caregivers. As the Korea Development Institute (KDI) predicts a need for 990,000 additional caregivers by 2043 due to an aging population, companies like Cheongyeon are repurposing their existing networks of home-cleaning managers into trained care providers. By providing standardized training to their large pool of verified workers, these private platforms aim to bridge the gap left by the public sector's inability to secure sufficient manpower and financial resources.