Number of foreign farming workers spikes in Q1 amid eased virus curbs

▲ This file photo shows people planting rice seedlings inside a greenhouse in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Feb. 15, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

farms-foreign workers

Number of foreign farming workers spikes in Q1 amid eased virus curbs

SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- The number of foreigners working in South Korea's agricultural industry spiked 531 percent on-year in the first quarter amid eased COVID-19 restrictions, data showed Thursday.

A total of 8,666 foreigners came to South Korea for jobs in farming villages during the January-March period, sharply up from 1,373 foreign laborers a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the agriculture ministry.

The jump was attributable to the government's lifting of tight entry rules and other regulations against the COVID-19 pandemic as part of efforts to support people's return to normalcy.

The ministry said it will set up a task force in charge of managing efforts to meet growing demand for workers in spring.

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