The number of foreign workers allowed in the country under the employment permit system will be 38 percent lower next year.

The new quota for the issuance of E-9 nonspecialist work visas is part of the government’s 2026 plan for the foreign labor force, finalized Monday.

The number of foreign laborers to be brought in under the permit system, which exists to support small and midsize businesses that can’t attract enough domestic workers to fill vacancies, will be 80-thousand as compared with 130-thousand this year.

The labor ministry said the decision was based on a comprehensive review of industry-specific labor supply and demand forecasts, as well as employer surveys, and reflects the fact that the temporary surge in demand for foreign workers since the COVID-19 pandemic has dropped off.

Of the 80-thousand E-9 visas issued in 2026, 50-thousand will be allocated for factory workers and ten-thousand for workers in the agricultural and livestock industries.

Meanwhile, a pilot project to hire foreign nannies in cooperation with the Seoul city government will not go ahead after the trial ends.