Filipino caregivers board a bus after arriving at Incheon International Airport on Aug. 6, 2024. They began work on Sept. 3 under Seoul City's pilot program. / Courtesy of Airport Press Photographers' Group

As the Seoul Metropolitan Government's pilot program for hiring caregivers from the Philippines approaches its scheduled end this month, parents who rely on the service are growing increasingly anxious.

Slow negotiations between Seoul City and the Ministry of Employment and Labor over extending the program have left many families uncertain about their child care options. If the program ends in March, working parents — especially those with young children — are concerned about the sudden challenges of finding reliable and affordable child care.

Kang, a 40-year-old mother living in Eunpyeong District in northwestern Seoul, has been using the service since its launch in September. She employs a Filipino caregiver for four hours a day, five days a week, to look after her 3-year-old son.

"My child has grown so attached to her that he cries whenever she leaves," she said. "But no one has told us whether the program will continue or not. As a parent, this uncertainty is overwhelming."

Less than a month left, but no official announcement

Despite the program seemingly coming to an end, neither Seoul City, the labor ministry, nor the service provider has given a clear answer about its future.

Park, 37, who hired a caregiver in September to look after her 17-month-old twins before returning to work, expressed her frustration.

"When I asked the service provider last month, they reassured me they were doing their best to keep the program running. But after the Lunar New Year holiday, my caregiver told me the program might end," she said. "Child care isn't something you can plan at the last minute — they should at least inform us of their plans in advance."

Parents are not only struggling with the uncertainty of the program's duration but also grappling with communication barriers and issues with service quality.

Kim, a woman in her 30s who has been using the service since September, said that she was required to pay a fixed salary even on days she didn't use the service.

"The caregivers' limited Korean skills also made it difficult to take my child to the hospital in an emergency," she said. "Even when issues arose, it was impossible to communicate with the city, the government or the service provider for improvements. Now, with reports that their wages may increase, I'm reconsidering whether I should continue using this service at all."

Filipino workers participating in a pilot program for foreign caregivers arrive at Incheon International Airport, Aug. 6. Yonhap

Seoul City pushes for program continuation

The pilot program was initially expected to expand nationwide in the first half of this year. However, lukewarm responses from local governments outside of Seoul, coupled with concerns over high costs, have put those plans on hold.

According to a survey conducted by the labor ministry late last year, only Seoul (952 applicants) and a handful of households in Busan and Sejong (fewer than 20 each) expressed demand for such a service, while other regions reported no interest at all.

Seoul City is working on measures to ensure that at least current users can continue receiving the service. However, any extension or expansion of the program ultimately depends on a decision from the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

A ministry official said, "We are carefully reviewing the results of the pilot program and will soon determine whether to expand the service to other regions and what scale the program should take."

Seoul City officials, citing a waiting list of over 700 families during the pilot period, are requesting the government to approve an extension and increase the number of caregivers.

"Through trial and error, the service has been stabilizing," a city official said. "We are hoping for a swift decision from the government."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.