Foreign workers participating in the pilot program for foreign housekeepers arrived at Incheon International Airport on the 6th. Photo by Airport Photographers
According to the report, among the 10 households using the newly introduced ‘foreign housekeeper’ service for the first time in Seoul, 4 households are located in the ‘Gangnam 4 districts’.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 14th that out of 751 applications received for the pilot program for foreign housekeepers from July 17 to August 6, 157 households were selected. Excluding duplicate applications from other areas, the competition rate was about 5 to 1.
In terms of selection results, the southeast region (Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa, Gangdong) had the highest number of households at 59 (37.6%). This was followed by the downtown area (Jongno, Junggu, Yongsan, Seongdong, Gwangjin, Seodaemun, Dongdaemun) with 50 households (31.8%). The northwest region (Eunpyeong, Mapo, Yangcheon, Gangseo) had 21 households (13.4%), the southwest region (Guro, Yeongdeungpo, Dongjak, Gwanak) had 19 households (12.1%), and the northeast region (Jungnang, Seongbuk, Nowon, Gangbuk) had 8 households (5.1%).
Compared to other regions, there is a more proactive use of Filipino housekeepers in Gangnam-gu, indicating that families with economic flexibility are more likely to hire Filipino housekeepers.
The high cost of foreign housekeepers compared to expectations is thought to have contributed to the results. Foreign housekeepers are paid a minimum wage per hour, receiving a monthly salary of 2.38 million won based on an 8-hour work day. This is approximately half of the median income for households in their 30s (5.09 million won).
By type of household, dual-income with multiple children households were the most at 97 households (61.8%). This was followed by households with one child at 39 (24.8%), pregnant women at 14 (8.9%), and single-parent households at 7 (4.5%). In terms of family size, households with two or more children accounted for 104 households (66.3%), those with one child at 50 households (31.8%), and pregnant women without children at 3 households (1.9%). The majority of children’s ages were 7 or younger at 145 households (92.4%).
The selection of households to participate considered single-parents, dual-income, households with multiple children, pregnant women, with priority given to children’s age (7 or younger), service duration (6 months), housekeeper work hours (40 hours), and geographical distribution, agreed upon by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and service providers.
The main task of the housekeepers is childcare. In addition to childcare, some other housekeeping tasks are also possible. However, due to controversy over ambiguous job boundaries, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has planned to specify desired service tasks for each household in advance during the contract drafting process.