South Korea trains foreign students to care for the elderly — Korea Herald
South Korea has begun training foreign students to work as caregivers for elderly people amid a staff shortage in the sector. According to government data, the country could face a shortage of approximately 116,000 elderly care workers by 2028.
The need for workers is growing
South Korea’s Ministry of Health estimates that the country will need an additional 990,000 caregivers by 2043. Rapid population aging has raised the question of who will provide care for the growing number of elderly people.
As Korea Herald reports, foreign students at Seojeong University in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, are undergoing training, including practicing how to move patients.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The problem of working conditions
According to a care workers’ union affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, nearly 2.3 million people have obtained caregiver qualifications but do not work in the profession. Sector workers and labor experts question whether the main problem is a shortage of people capable of providing care or whether such jobs are simply not attractive enough for those who could enter and remain in the profession.
Attracting foreign residents and students has become one of the policy directions for expanding the workforce pool. At the same time, experts point out that an influx of foreign workers alone may not be sufficient without improving working conditions in the care sector.
