The introduction of a foreign household manager system in Seoul has encountered unexpected obstacles. Originally slated to transition into a full-fledged project in the first half of this year, the pilot program has been extended by one year due to financial burdens and institutional limitations.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government initiated a pilot project involving 100 Philippine nationals from September of last year to Febuary of this year. The initiative aimed to address the care gaps experienced by dual-income families and alleviate labor costs. However, the program did not transition as planned. currently,86 Filipino household managers are employed in 143 homes.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the formal business plan for foreign household managers remains undecided. Kim Min-seok, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labor, stated at a meeting on July 7, “This project is not easy.”

Wage Discrepancies and ILO Standards

“This project is not easy.” – Kim Min-seok, deputy Minister of Employment and Labor

The primary challenge lies in wage disparities. South Korea’s ratification of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Anti-Discrimination Agreement mandates that foreign workers receive the same wages and working conditions as their Korean counterparts. This requirement, coupled with minimum wage laws, retirement allowances, and operational expenses, has driven the hourly wage for household managers in the pilot project to 16,800 won. This translates to approximately 2.92 million won per month for a five-day workweek, eight hours per day.

Initially,the city had proposed an hourly wage of 13,940 won,but the increased costs have led to a significant rise in monthly fees,jumping from 2.43 million won to 2.92 million won for a 40-hour workweek.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon acknowledged the difficulties in introducing inexpensive foreign personnel, stating on December 12, “The introduction of a very inexpensive foreign personnel is practically difficult when considering the international status and the working environment.”

The high cost structure has raised concerns about the program’s effectiveness. A significant portion (43%) of participating households in the initial pilot phase were concentrated in the Gangnam 3 districts (Gangnam, seocho, Songpa), leading to criticism that it was a “Gangnam-only service.” Furthermore, issues related to labor conditions, such as unpaid wages and accommodation, have surfaced, casting doubt on the program’s original goal of reducing care costs.

The differing perspectives between the government and the city of Seoul persist. While the city has requested a reduction in costs by exempting foreign household managers from minimum wage requirements, the Ministry of Employment maintains that such an exemption would violate ILO agreements and the Labor Standards Act.

Han Eun-suk,an official from the Ministry of Employment and Foreign Public Health,stated on the 17th that applying the same minimum wage and labor laws as Korean workers makes it challenging to achieve the program’s initial objectives.

Despite thes challenges, some argue that foreign household managers offer a competitive alternative to address domestic care shortages. These managers typically possess care certificates from the Philippine government and undergo thorough identity verification. Many are young, in their 20s and 30s, making them a potentially attractive option compared to the aging domestic care workforce.

Jeon Chang-min, CEO of a household manager service, noted that “There was a limit to the existing care workers, but young foreign household managers played with their children and diversified their play, and there were a lot of positive reactions,” adding, “The user satisfaction was very high because it has a structure to listen and adjust.”

As an alternative, Seoul is proposing the inclusion of foreign household managers in the government’s ‘public childcare service,’ a system that dispatches caregivers to families with children under 12 years of age and provides financial support based on household income.Kim Sun-soon, head of the women’s family department at Seoul, believes that “I am young and pleasant in the field, and the demand for foreign household managers is sufficient.”