The South Korean government announced it will allow the employment of nonprofessional foreign workers who holds E-9 visas to expand the labour pool in the domestic tourism and hospitality industry, Pulse News reports. The E-9 visa is a general employment permit visa that allows foreign workers to work for a maximum of four years and 10 months. The Ministry of Employment and Labour recently announced plans to extend the maximum period of stay to 10 years. The employment permit system aims to attract unskilled foreign workers from 16 countries, including China, Vietnam and the Philippines. If an employer fails to hire domestic workers within a certain period, the employer can seek government permission to employ foreign workers.

“A labour supply survey will be conducted for the tourism and hospitality industry within this year, with a plan to gradually grant permissions concerning E-9 visas,” the government said.