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Employment insurance for foreign workers in Korea: which visas are covered, who must apply, and the employee premium
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
Foreign workers are covered by Korea's Employment Insurance Act, but how depends on the visa. Workers hired under the Employment Permit System (Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers, for example E-9 and H-2) are covered by law, with the unemployment-benefit and family-leave chapters applying only if they apply. Foreigners on D-7, D-8, D-9 or F-5 status are covered in full; F-4 holders and people on work-permitted statuses (such as E-1 to E-10) are covered in full if they apply. The employee's share of the unemployment-benefit premium is 0.9% of pay: the total rate of 1.8% (18/1000) is split in half between employee and employer.
Law text read on 2026-10-19 from the National Law Information Center: Employment Insurance Act (the portal heading shows "[시행 2028. 1. 1.] [법률 제21473호, 2026. 3. 17., 일부개정]", marked as a scheduled-effect version), its Enforcement Decree "[시행 2026. 9. 18.]", the premium-collection Act "[시행 2026. 10. 8.]" and its decree "[시행 2025. 12. 23.]". Articles can move between versions, so confirm with the labour office. We checked the two Act articles used here: Article 8 was last amended on 5 January 2021 and Article 10-2 on 31 December 2022, so the 2028 amendment does not change them and they are the rules in force today.
Visa coverage table
Article 10-2(1) of the Act says it applies to foreign workers covered by the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers, but Chapters 4 and 5 only if the worker applies as set by a Ministry of Employment and Labor ordinance. For all other foreigners Article 10-2(2) leaves the scope to the decree; Decree Article 3-3 sets it as follows.
| Group | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Workers under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers (EPS: E-9, H-2 and similar) | Act applies; Chapters 4 and 5 only on application (Act Art. 10-2(1)). Easy Law: automatically enrolled; separate enrolment needed for unemployment benefits, parental leave and maternity leave benefits. |
| D-7 (intra-company), D-8 (investment), D-9 (trade management) | Whole Act applies, except where the worker's home-country law does not apply equivalent insurance to Korean nationals |
| F-5 (permanent resident) | Whole Act applies |
| People described in Immigration Decree Art. 23(2): certain F-2 sub-categories and F-6 (marriage migrant) | Whole Act applies |
| F-4 (overseas Korean) | Whole Act applies if the worker applies under the Ministry's ordinance |
| Statuses that allow employment under Immigration Decree Art. 23(1): C-4, E-1 through E-10, H-2 | Whole Act applies if the worker applies under the Ministry's ordinance |
Immigration Decree Article 23(5) treats an H-1 (working holiday) holder who works as holding a work-permitted status for this purpose. Statuses not named in Decree Article 3-3 (for example a student visa without work authorisation) are not covered by this table; ask the employment centre about them.
Foreigners with a contract for cultural/arts services or a labour-provision contract (freelance-type work) have a separate list in Decree Article 3-3(3)-(4): F-5 and the Article 23(2) groups are covered, F-4 and work-permitted statuses by application. This page does not go further into that category.
Who is outside the Act at all
- The Act applies to every business that employs workers (Article 8(1)), except businesses exempted by decree.
- Workers whose scheduled hours in that business are under 60 hours a month or under 15 hours a week are outside it (Decree Art. 3(1)), but workers who have worked continuously for 3 months or more, and daily workers, are covered (Art. 3(2)).
- Also excluded (Art. 3(3)): special postal-office staff, and workers in agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses that are not corporations and normally employ 4 or fewer workers, who may still join if they apply.
- Unemployment-benefit premiums are not collected from a person first hired after age 65 (premium Act Art. 13(3)).
The premium
| Part | Rate | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefit | 18/1000 = 1.8% | Employee pays half (premium Act Art. 13(2)); employer pays the other half |
| Job stability and vocational skills development, firms with under 150 workers | 25/10,000 = 0.25% | Employer (this table lists the rate by employer size; the employee pays no part of it under Art. 13(2)) |
| Same, 150 or more workers, priority-support firms | 45/10,000 | Employer |
| Same, 150 to under 1,000 workers (other) | 65/10,000 | Employer |
| Same, 1,000 or more workers (and state/local government projects) | 85/10,000 | Employer |
Article 13(2) says the employee's employment-insurance premium is the worker's total pay multiplied by half the unemployment-benefit rate, so the job-stability part is not deducted from the employee.
Employee premium calculator
The calculator multiplies pay by 1.8% / 2. It does not add a pay ceiling or apply a rounding rule.
How to join
- EPS workers (E-9, H-2). Easy Law says they are automatically enrolled, with a separate enrolment for unemployment benefits, parental leave and maternity leave benefits.
- Everyone who is covered "on application". The Act says the application is made as set by a Ministry of Employment and Labor ordinance. We did not fetch the ordinance, so we cannot give you the form or desk; ask the employer or the nearest employment centre.
Other payroll deductions: National Pension and National Health Insurance. For pay floors see minimum wage 2026, and for leaving a job see severance pay. This page is a summary, not legal advice.
Checked 2026-10-19.
Official sources
- National Law Information Center — Employment Insurance Act, Article 10-2 — application to foreign workers; Chapters 4 and 5 only on application (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Employment Insurance Act, Article 8 — scope: every business that employs workers (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Employment Insurance Act Enforcement Decree, Article 3-3 — which foreigners are covered in whole or by application, by visa; in force 2026-09-18 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Employment Insurance Act Enforcement Decree, Article 3 — 60 hours a month / 15 hours a week exclusion and its exceptions (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Immigration Act Enforcement Decree, Article 23 — statuses that allow employment (C-4, E-1 to E-10, H-2), F-2/F-6 groups, F-4; in force 2026-10-02 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Act on the Collection of Employment and Industrial Accident Insurance Premiums, Article 13 — employee pays half of the unemployment-benefit rate; none collected for first hires after 65; in force 2026-10-08 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — premium Act Enforcement Decree, Article 12 — premium rates: 18/1000 unemployment benefit; employer job-stability rates by size; in force 2025-12-23 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Easy to Find, Practical Law — Employment of Foreign Workers — English: Employment Insurance automatic for foreign workers, separate enrolment for unemployment/leave benefits; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
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