Migrant workers in South Korea continue to experience health vulnerabilities arising from legal and structural constraints, yet research focusing specifically on foreign workers holding the E-9 (non-professional employment) visa remains limited. While...
Migrant workers in South Korea continue to experience health vulnerabilities arising from legal and structural constraints, yet research focusing specifically on foreign workers holding the E-9 (non-professional employment) visa remains limited. While previous studies have identified the health implications of work conditions, few have compared differences across industries, and social networks have generally been treated as secondary factors. Moreover, the moderating effects of social networks have been examined primarily in the context of mental health, leaving a gap in understanding their role in shaping the relationship between work conditions and overall perceived health. Therefore, this study aims to examine how industry-specific work conditions and social networks influence the perceived health of E-9 migrant workers, and analyze the moderating role of social networks.
Using data from the 2024 survey on Immigrants’ Living Conditions and Labour Force, the study analyzes 3,156 E-9 migrant workers employed across three industries. Work condition variables include wage, working hours, status in employment and job satisfaction. Social network factors capture both the quantity and quality of relationships. OLS regression with HC3 robust standard errors was used for the full sample and each industry, and moderation models included interaction terms between wage or job satisfaction and social network variables.
The results show that, in the full sample, working hours, job satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction were significantly associated with health; wage, employment status and the number of social ties were not. Industry-specific analyses identified job satisfaction as a key factor in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, while working hours and both job and relationship satisfaction were significant predictors in mining and manufacturing. Results for construction should be interpreted cautiously due to the limited sample size. Additionally, interactions between job satisfaction and the number of social ties had a positive effect on health in the full sample and mining and manufacturing, while interactions between job satisfaction and relationship satisfaction negatively affected perceived health only in mining and manufacturing industries.
These findings highlight the need for health policies that account for both industry-specific characteristics, the objective and subjective aspects of work conditions, and social network factors. However, the study is limited by its cross-sectional design, reliance on self-reported health, and constraints in sample composition. Future research would benefit from longitudinal data and a broadened scope of analysis.