Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter |
100 Filipino caregivers aged 24 to 38 arrived in Korea to provide the childcare services for young working parents and to boost the declining birth rate.
On Tuesday, a batch of 100 Filipino caregivers arrived in South Korea as part of a pilot project aimed to supply foreign workers to domestic households, said the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
The caregivers will begin their specialized training for 160 hours over the next four weeks include 16 hours of basic education for E-9 visa and 144 hours of specialized job training.
The pilot project training education will cover curriculum of safety and health control regulations, the National Basic Living Security Act, sexual harassment prevention, child care and household duties, Korean language instruction and cultural education, as well as visa and employment rules.
Each of the 100 caregivers will reside in single or double rooms of 4.8 to 6.5 square meters arranged by the city government near Yeoksam Station in the Gangnam area for approximately seven months through the duration of the pilot project, that is scheduled to run until the end of February 2025.
From July 17 to August 6, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is receiving applications from Seoul residents seeking to employ the Filipino caregivers. The household of care need will be matched with caregiver within this month and the household will be able to get services begin from September 3.
Until Thursday, 422 households have submitted applications as per city officials.
The Households in need of care services will be selected on the basis of comprehensive set of priorities in-cluding single-parent families, multi-child households, dual-income families and households with pregnant women. Moreover, the factors of children age and the duration of service use will be considered.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment & Labor have been pushing this pilot project to introduce foreign caregivers, aims to provide Korean parents with affordable child care support. If the first attempt of government will be successful in Seoul, the government is expected to expand this program to the other cities and regions nationwide.
The city government is emphasizing its commitment to the first pilot project for foreign domestic workers in Korea through inspecting accommodations, training centers, education programs and registration procedures for foreign domestic workers.
"We are actively supporting Filipino caregivers as they transition from their home country to life in Seoul. At the same time, we aim to ensure that families receiving these services are fully satisfied with the care giving services," said Kim Sun-soon, head of the women and family office at the city government.
