South Korean company plans to recruit skilled construction workers from Uzbekistan

South Korean company plans to attract skilled construction workers from Uzbekistan

Within the framework of the high-level visit between Uzbekistan and South Korea, opportunities for expanding the access of Uzbek specialists to the Korean labor market were reviewed.

The Director of the Migration Agency of Uzbekistan, Muhsinhuja Abdurakhmonov, held a meeting with the heads of Korean companies operating in the construction and employment sectors, including Sewon Kim, Executive Director of Worksmate Inc., and Sidok Lee, CEO of Hyun Ju.

During the talks, the sides discussed expanding opportunities for Uzbek citizens in the Korean labor market, establishing effective cooperation within the E-9 program, and the prospects of attracting skilled specialists under the E-7 visa.

It was noted that within the framework of the current EPS system, citizens of Uzbekistan are being sent to Korea in an organized manner under the E-9 working visa. At the same time, the need to accelerate the selection process by Korean employers of candidates who have successfully passed the EPS-TOPIK exam in the field of construction was emphasized.

To this end, the Migration Agency proposed expanding direct contacts with Korean construction companies. During the meeting, the GADA digital platform operated by Worksmate Inc. was presented. According to the company, this platform cooperates with more than 1.5 thousand construction companies in Korea.

During the negotiations, the possibility of integrating the GADA platform with the "Work Abroad" (Xorijda ish) electronic platform of the Migration Agency was also considered. Such a system could serve to connect construction specialists in Uzbekistan with employers in Korea. In this regard, special attention was paid to the protection of citizens' personal data in accordance with the requirements of the legislation of Uzbekistan.

Another important focus of the meeting was the E-7 visa. Representatives of Worksmate Inc. announced that a project aimed at attracting skilled specialists for the construction sector from Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Mongolia, and Thailand is being planned with the participation of relevant Korean structures.

According to the preliminary requirements, it is envisaged that vocational education graduates will need 5 years of work experience, while specialists with a bachelor's degree will require a diploma and at least one year of work experience. For master's degree graduates, no work experience requirement is envisaged.

According to the provided information, the starting monthly salary starts from 2,156,880 won and may increase depending on the specialist's qualifications.

The Migration Agency proposed a model of preliminary and targeted training of specialists for the Korean labor market. According to it, university students in Uzbekistan can study the Korean language, acquire relevant professional qualifications, and gain the necessary work experience in local construction enterprises.

At the end of the negotiations, a letter of intent on cooperation was signed between the Migration Agency and Worksmate Inc. The management and working group of the Korean company were invited to Uzbekistan.

The Migration Agency noted that recruitment of citizens under the E-7 visa category has not yet started. Currently, the parties are discussing the possibilities of establishing this mechanism and the requirements for it.