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Gov't serves up relief for restaurants with E-9 role expansion

Published: 15 May. 2025, 18:01 Updated: 16 May. 2025, 12:27

Foreign workers arrive Korea at the Incheon International Airport in July 2022. [NEWS1]

Foreign workers under the Employment Permit System will now be allowed to work as servers in restaurants, according to the government on Thursday.

Until now, E-9 holders were only permitted to work as kitchen assistants. The government decided to ease the regulations in an effort to alleviate severe staffing shortages at small businesses. The restaurant industry has long argued that limiting E-9 workers to kitchen assistant roles has worsened chronic labor shortages.

While foreign nationals on other visas — such as the F-4 for overseas Koreans or the D-2 for students — are allowed to work as servers, the workforce remains insufficient. Small restaurants, in particular, often require employees to perform both front-of-house and back-of-house duties, leading to criticism that restricting E-9 workers to only one role is unrealistic.

Similar changes will be introduced in the parcel delivery sector. Foreign workers will now be allowed to sort parcels — a task that is closely linked to loading and unloading, which were previously the only tasks permitted for E-9 workers in the industry.

A pilot program in the hotel and resort industry is already underway in Seoul, Gangwon, Jeju and Busan, where E-9 workers are hired for cleaning and kitchen assistant positions. The government plans to expand the program to more regions upon application by local governments.

“Gyeongju has submitted a request for inclusion, citing the upcoming APEC summit,” said an official from the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

E-9 visa holders already residing in Korea will be eligible to switch to front-of-house service or parcel-sorting roles immediately upon changing workplaces. New applicants will be able to apply for these positions starting in July.

“The government will expand the use of foreign labor to help address urgent workforce shortages in the service sector while carefully considering the impact on domestic employment,” said Bang Ki-sun, Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Prime Minister's Secretariat.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY IM SOUNG-BIN [[email protected]]