[Unofficial translation provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

“Too much work”… 14 out of 100 Filipino domestic carers leave Korea, 4 August 2025

Ms A, a Filipino domestic worker who entered South Korea last year through a pilot programme run by Seoul City, reportedly left her assigned group accommodation without permission and was eventually deported from Busan in October. According to fellow workers, she endured extremely long hours, beginning her day at 5 a.m. and rotating through three households before returning to her dormitory around midnight. She reportedly requested changes due to the excessive workload, but neither the employer nor the authorities took action.

As of 4 August, the Ministry of Employment and Labour confirmed that 14 out of the 100 domestic workers who arrived in Korea under the pilot programme had since left the country. All were certified care workers approved by the Philippine government, but many are believed to have departed due to low wages and human rights concerns.

In the meantime, support mechanisms for these workers appear to have failed. According to data obtained by MP Lee Yong-woo from the Democratic Party, the “Comprehensive Support Centre for Domestic Services” received zero counselling cases from Filipino carers between September 2024 and June 2025. This suggests the official channel for reporting problems was essentially non-functional, leaving workers without recourse in a foreign country while facing excessive workloads.

The collapse of the Filipino domestic worker pilot scheme underscores how poorly designed migration policies can lead to both rejection by service users and the reinforcement of control measures over migrant workers. Initially introduced as a policy tool to reduce childcare burdens among Korean families, the programme has largely failed to establish a functioning care labour market.

The Ministry and Seoul City had initially planned to expand the scheme to over 1,000 workers during the full rollout. However, that expansion has now been effectively put on hold amid mounting concerns.