South Korea sees rise in employment insurance benefits for foreign workers

Data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor shows a significant increase in employment insurance benefits paid to foreign workers in South Korea. Last year, parental leave benefits for foreigners reached 36.45 billion won, a twofold increase from the previous year, with the number of recipients rising by 50% to 2,031 people. This growth was partly driven by an increase in the monthly benefit cap from 1.5 million won to 2.5 million won.

Simultaneously, unemployment benefits paid to foreign workers reached a record high of approximately 113.4 billion won last year. The number of foreign workers enrolled in employment insurance has grown 2.6 times over the last four years, reaching 458,644 people.

Statistics indicate a high concentration of benefits among specific nationalities. Approximately 78.9% of last year's foreign unemployment benefits were distributed to Chinese nationals and ethnic Koreans from China. Regarding parental leave, ethnic Koreans from China accounted for the largest share with 1,154 recipients, followed by Vietnamese and Chinese nationals. Other notable recipient groups include workers from the United States and Japan.