Overview of Foreign Workers with Employment Visas in Korea (2025)

There are more and more foreigners working in Korea these days, right?
As of 2025, about 567,000 foreigners hold employment visas in Korea.
Curious about which countries they come from, their ages, and gender distribution?
Here’s a simple table to help you understand!

Nationality, Age, and Gender Distribution

Rank	Nationality	Number	Male(%)	Female(%)	Main Visa Types
1	China	158,400	62	38	E-7, E-9, F-4
2	Vietnam	85,700	68	32	E-9, E-7-4
3	Thailand	52,900	71	29	E-9, E-7-3
4	USA	48,200	55	45	E-7-1, F-2
5	Uzbekistan	26,500	75	25	E-9, E-8

Age Group	%
20-29	40
30-39	35
40-49	20
50+	5

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Types of Work Visas in Korea (2025)

There are many types of visas in Korea, but here’s a quick look at the ones that allow you to work, along with how long you can stay.

Visa	Who It's	Min	Max	Notes
E-7-1	Professionals	1 year	5 years	IT, engineers, etc.
E-7-4	Skilled Workers	1 year	3 years	Quota applies
E-9	Non-professionals	1 year	4 years 10 months	Agriculture, manufacturing
H-2	Visiting Workers	3 years	5 years	Limited countries
F-2	Residents	3 years	Unlimited	Long-term stay
E-8	Seasonal Workers	3 months	5 months	Short-term farming

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How to Get an Employment Visa? (Top 5 Nationalities)

Nationality	Visa	Requirements	Average Monthly Salary
China	E-7-1	Bachelor’s + 3 years experience	4,200,000 KRW
Vietnam	E-9	Korean Level 2 + Basic skills	2,100,000 KRW
Thailand	E-7-3	Relevant skill certificate	2,500,000 KRW
USA	E-7-1	Master’s + professional experience	5,800,000 KRW
Uzbekistan	E-8	Seasonal agriculture skills	1,900,000 KRW

 

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How Do Foreigners Find Jobs in Korea?

Foreigners looking for jobs in Korea mainly use:

• Official Job Platforms
  • EPS Employment Permit System (government-run, very reliable!)
  • • https://www.eps.go.kr/eo/EmployPerSystem.eo
  • Jobploy (popular private job portal)
  • • https://www.jobploy.kr/
• Social Media
  • Many find job info through KakaoTalk, Facebook, Instagram.
  • 7 out of 10 foreign workers say they found jobs via social media!
• Referrals
  • Especially Vietnamese and Thai workers often get jobs through friends or family networks.

잡플로이 - 백만 외국인 채용 플랫폼

 

외국인고용관리시스템 - 고용24

 

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Next Post Preview

Next time, we’ll dive deeper into how foreigners actually get hired, earn money, and live in Korea.
We’ll share real stories, interviews, popular job sites, hiring processes, and the role of social networks and referrals.
Stay tuned!