E-9 (Non-professional Employment) workers can only be hired through the Employment Permit System under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers. Article 8(6) of the Act prohibits anyone other than a public employment security office from taking part in selecting, arranging or otherwise hiring foreign workers, so private job placement agencies do not introduce E-9 workers. Hiring goes through the Job Center or another public employment security office in the order below.

Steps

  1. Korean job posting (Art. 6): An employer who wants to hire foreign workers must first ask the employment security office to recruit Korean nationals. The office introduces qualified Korean job seekers first.
  2. Employment permit application (Art. 8(1) and (2)): If no one is hired through that introduction, the employer applies to the head of the office for an employment permit. The application is valid for 3 months and may be extended once, for example when temporary business difficulties prevent new hiring.
  3. Recommendation and permit (Art. 8(3) and (4)): The office recommends suitable candidates from the foreign job seeker roster to employers who meet the requirements, and issues an employment permit naming the selected worker.
  4. Employment contract (Art. 9): The employer signs the standard employment contract set by Ministry of Employment and Labor ordinance with the selected worker. The Human Resources Development Service of Korea can handle the contract on the employer’s behalf.
  5. Visa issuance certificate (Art. 10): After signing, the employer may apply to the Minister of Justice for a visa issuance certificate on behalf of the worker.
  6. Training after entry (Art. 11): The worker must complete employment training within the set period after entering Korea, and the employer must make sure the worker can attend.

Workplace requirements to check first

Under Article 8(3), candidates are recommended only to employers who meet the requirements set by Presidential Decree, such as the industry and size of business eligible for foreign workers. Eligibility and the number of workers allowed depend on the industry and headcount, so check your workplace against the requirements before applying.

What Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent Office does

  • Preparing the Korean job posting form, the employment permit application and attachments
  • Advice on Employment Permit System requirements
  • Filing the visa issuance certificate application on your behalf
  • Filing workplace change permits and other immigration applications on your behalf

If you want to hire foreign residents who are already allowed to work in Korea (such as F-2 (Resident), F-4 (Overseas Korean), F-5 (Permanent Resident), F-6 (Marriage Migrant) or E-7 (Special Occupation) holders), send an employer request to New World Job and we will introduce matching job seekers.