Home > National > Social Affairs

Government safety measures raise concerns for migrant workers facing job insecurity

Published: 15 Sep. 2025, 12:50

Workers set up a parasol on a boom lift to shield themselves from the sun while working at a construction site in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on July 28. [WOO SANG-JO]

Migrant workers are among the first to lose jobs as Korea’s construction sites fall silent. After a series of fatal accidents, major builders are suspending projects for safety checks, leaving day laborers scrambling to find new contracts before their three-month grace period to remain in the country runs out.

After a Myanmar worker from subcontractor LT Sambo was injured in an electric shock accident at the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway site on Aug. 4, Posco E&C suspended work at 103 sites nationwide. Workers at those sites went nearly a month without pay.

Labor officials say the burden is falling hardest on the bottom of the employment chain. An official from the Ministry of Employment and Labor noted that “the impact is greater for subcontracted and migrant workers than for prime contractor employees.”

Data from the Bank of Korea’s Economic Statistics System show the number of daily construction workers in August dropped by 67,000 year-on-year to 834,000.

In Daejeon, four Vietnamese laborers learned last week that their contracts would not be renewed because their employer’s construction schedule had slowed. Under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers, they must find another job within three months or risk becoming undocumented.

Migrant worker support centers say they are calling local labor offices every day to look for openings, but are having little success. In a recent exchange, a center staff member asked about openings for about 10 foreign workers who have been unable to work. An official at the regional labor office replied that there were "none," adding that the construction industry is in "bad shape" right now.

Safety crackdown

After a fatal accident at an apartment construction site in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi in August, DL Construction halted work at 44 sites, followed by its parent company DL E&C suspending construction at more than 100 sites. The photo shows lumber stacked at an apartment construction site in Seoul overseen by DL E&C. [KIM JEONG-JAE]

The job losses come as major builders step up safety measures after the government vowed tougher penalties for workplace deaths.

Just recently, Daewoo E&C said it would “halt operations at 105 sites nationwide” from Wednesday after two recent deaths: one subcontractor struck by falling debris in Siheung, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday and another worker suspected of dying from heat illness in Ulsan on Sept. 4. Lotte E&C has been conducting special safety inspections across all of its sites since a subcontracted worker was killed by an excavator in Gimhae on Sept. 6.

Other firms are also stopping work when they see potential hazards.

“If there is even a slight risk at a site, we are stopping work for several days," a Hyundai E&C official said.

Another construction executive said companies were “accepting losses worth tens of billions of won” and avoiding new contracts to ensure no more accidents occur.

That caution is already delaying major redevelopment projects in Seoul. Construction contracts for sites, including Gaepo Woosung 4 in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, are on hold as builders who were expected to participate have stayed out of competitive bidding.

Rep. Maeng Sung-kyu, chair of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, presides over a full session during a parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency and Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 24, 2024. [NEWS1]

Political pressure

This wave of caution comes ahead of the National Assembly’s annual audits next month.

"There is an unspoken directive that not a single accident should happen before next month," an official at a top-10 builder said. "This is to prevent company heads from being summoned to the National Assembly audit hearings in October.”

Lawmakers on the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Environment and Labor committees are considering calling executives from firms with recent fatalities as witnesses.

President Lee Jae Myung has taken a tough stance on construction site deaths, calling a fatal accident at a Posco E&C site in August “intentional murder” and warning of license revocations.

Foreign workers, merchants and residents mingle at the multicultural food market in Danwon District, Ansan, Gyeonggi, in July. [KIM HONG-JUN]

Expert calls for flexibility

Advocates say migrant workers are being hurt by measures meant to keep them safe.

“The government’s strong response is hitting migrant workers like collateral damage," said An Dea-hwan, head of the Korea Migration Foundation. “When these workers lose their jobs for reasons beyond their control, the three month reemployment period should be extended.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JEONG-JAE [[email protected]]