The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labour will hand over the operation of the Filipino carer programme to the private sector starting in March, following the completion of a six-month pilot phase that received mixed reviews.
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Launched last year, the pilot programme was initially expected to expand nationwide in the first half of this year to alleviate child care burdens in light of South Korea’s declining birth rate by providing foreign caregiving workers to local households. However, lukewarm responses from local governments outside Seoul, coupled with concerns over high costs, had put those plans on hold.
While the trial period is set to end this month, a city official confirmed that ongoing services for taking part households will continue.
As the labour ministry has not yet decided whether to expand the initiative into a full-scale programme, private operators are expected to take over the service for the time being.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing over potential higher fees as the Filipino carer programme transitions to private management.
Recently, companies managing Filipino carers notified users of a planned hourly rate hike from 13,940 won to 16,900 won (US$9.61 to US$11.63) starting on March 1. However, they later withdrew the decision after facing backlash. The labour ministry also clarified that the final service fee has yet to be determined.