The government will issue a record-high 165,000 E-9 visas for migrant workers next year.

That’s a 37.5 percent on-year increase from this year’s 120,000.

On Monday, the Labor Ministry announced that it also plans to relax regulations that would expand the fields in which E-9 visa holders can work.

The E-9 is a work visa for manual and nonprofessional work.

Small businesses have been urging the government to open the door wider to migrant workers due to the significant decline in Korea’s workforce caused by the dwindling population amid record-low fertility rates and a rapidly aging population.

Border restrictions implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic also disrupted the migrant worker supply.

E-9 visa holders can now work in restaurants, forestry and mining.

In a statement, the ministry decided to allow E-9 visa holders to work in these businesses due to significant demand for them caused by worker shortages.

Restaurant jobs were restricted to holders of H-2 visas, issued to ethnic Koreans, including those from China and the former Soviet Union.

Restaurants can hire E-9 visa holders starting in April.

However, visa holders can only work as kitchen assistants at Korean restaurants in around 100 provincial regions, including Sejong and Jeju.

Restaurants with less than five workers must be in business for at least seven years. Restaurants with five or more employees must have been in business for five years or more.

Small restaurants with less than five employees will only be allowed to hire one migrant worker, while bigger restaurants can hire up to two.

For mining, only businesses that produce at least 150,000 tons of ore a year may hire E-9 visa holders.

Forestry and mining businesses can hire E-9 visa holders starting in July.

“We expect the expanded quota of E-9 visas will greatly contribute to solving the workforce shortages,” said Bang Ki-sun, government policy coordination minister. “We also plan to create a systematic management that will provide swift deployment of migrant workers and help them settle in Korea.”

“There are continuous demands for migrant workforces in areas that are struggling significantly from the shortage of workers,” Bang said. “If needed, we plan to hold another migrant workers’ policy meeting.”

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]