Using the 2020 Survey of Foreign Workers, this article analyzed the current working conditions of immigrant workers. The monthly wage level of immigrant workers was 211.2million won on an after-tax basis. The average working hours per week was 50.0 hours.Overall, both wage levels and working hours tended to decrease for immigrant workers. However, 11.5% of immigrant workers were found to work on holidays eight times a month. The proportion of respondents who experienced unfair dismissal in the past year was quite high at 4.7%. In addition, 2.8% of respondents were assaulted over the past year, and 3.1% of female respondents were sexually harassed or sexually assaulted. Regarding industrial accidents, 19.8% of workers experienced injuries during work in the past year, and 15.3% suffered from work-related diseases. The reasons for industrial accidents were “personal mistakes” (27.2%) and “excessively heavy loads or machines”(14.1%). Those working without labor contract accounted for 40.3% of immigrant workers. Among the remaining workers who said they were working with labor contract, 13.8% experienced breaches of contract with regard to working hours, wages, and overtime pay. Overall, assaults and human rights abuses have continued on considerable scale. The management and supervision of the labor field needs to be strengthened, and an active approach is needed to limit the placement of immigrant workers in places with poor working conditions.

This article aims to explore the current status of immigrant workers’ right to health in South Korea. Specifically, the healthcare insurance of immigrant workers, unmet healthcare needs, and the accessibility to health information including Covid-19 were investigated. The data from “Survey on Various Conditions for Foreign Workers 2020” was analyzed. On the basis of this analysis, this article concludes with several policy implications.

Based on a 2020 survey of foreign workers, this paper examines social security for non-professional workers (E9 visa) and Chinese-Koreans (H2 and F4 visas), who account for the majority of low-wage immigrant workers residing in Korea. The focus of this paper is on immigrant workers’ enrollment in social insurance schemes (excluding the National Health Insurance) and four other optional insurance plans. We also discuss immigrant workers’ awareness of these insurance programs. In the case of employment insurance, immigrant workers in non-professional employment(E9) and Chinese Koreans(H2/F4) are not subject to mandatory coverage, although they are allowed to enroll in the insurance on a voluntary basis. About 60% of immigrant workers were aware of the employment insurance; 46.9% of immigrant workers reported that their employers were covered by industrial accident insurance. Whether or not an immigrant worker can join the National Pension depends on the social security agreements between the worker’s home country and Korea. Regarding the National Pension, only Chinese citizens were surveyed, and only half(50.1%) of them answered that they joined the National Pension. In addition, the rate of subscription was 61.2% for Departure Guarantee Insurance, 40.0% for Guarantee Insurance, 59.0% for Return Cost Insurance(59.0%), and 56.6% for Casualty Insurance(56.6%). This paper also makes policy suggestions to increase the universality and inclusiveness of Korea’s social security system.

This paper discusses the right of housing and living conditions of Immigrant Workers. Non-professional (low-skilled) immigrant workers (E9) live in dormitories provided by their employers. Our survey results found 40.5% of these dwellings were low-quality housing, including non-residential spaces, temporary buildings, unauthorized houses, and containers. Also, much of the housing occupied by workers on a work-visit visa (H2) and overseas Koreans from China (F4), who usually are short on budget, were of low quality. Non-professional immigrant workers (E9) showed a much lower level of Korean proficiency than workers on a work-visit visa (H2) and overseas Koreans from China (F4). So, They often have to remain passive even if they are treated unfairly due to their low language proficiency. Furthermore, they had to face the unfriendly attitude of Koreans. Koreans’ perceptions of immigrant workers are built mostly on piecemeal information coming from negative media coverage of immigrant workers in Korea. Such perceptions should change, and efforts should be made to improve the housing environment (or conditions) of immigrant workers. Regulations need to be put in place to ensure that the quality of housing provided by employers of migrant workers does not fall below minimum standards.