Labour migrants from Thailand to South Korea – EPS and its challenges

Seminar no. 1209 (Special)
5 April 2023 Time 14.00 -15.00 hrs.

Speaker: Raffaella Pagogna and Reena Tadee

As a result of the Republic of Korea’s need for low-skilled migrant labor, the Employment Permit System (EPS) has been established. As part of this program, bilateral agreements between governments were negotiated between Korea and 16 partner countries, including Thailand, to protect Korean workers and migrant workers’ rights and welfare. Although the EPS system is in place, the number of undocumented Thai workers residing in South Korea has increased to 147,440 as of January 31, 2023. The seminar presents preliminary findings from our field research conducted in Udon Thani (April-May 2022) and South Korea (July-September 2022), which illustrate how the EPS system has limitations and can increase the number of undocumented Thai workers in South Korea. The presentation concludes by discussing policy recommendations to address these gaps.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82006212704?pwd=cWNFQ3BPUyswNjJZeTNLYjMyRkdhZz09

Meeting ID: 820 0621 2704
Passcode: 927808

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/IPSRMahidolUniversity