KUALA LUMPUR - Foreign housekeepers employed under a Seoul government pilot programme were severely underpaid and required to perform additional work beyond their agreed duties, a survey released on January 17 has found.

The Seoul metropolitan government launched the foreign maid pilot programme in September 2024, allowing 100 workers, mostly from Southeast Asia including the Philippines, to work in more than 150 households across the city.

The project, which ended in December 2025, was intended to address a shortage of local domestic workers and to support women in remaining in the workforce, as reported by The Korea Herald.

According to the survey, respondents earned an average monthly wage of 1.92 million won during the first six months of the programme.

This was less than half of the average monthly wage of South Koreans in 2024, which stood at 3.74 million won.

After deductions for expenses such as accommodation and insurance, the workers’ net monthly income fell to about 1.18 million won, the survey showed.

Some respondents said they were asked to perform tasks outside their job scope, including washing dishes, caring for pets and tutoring children in English.

“We must ... re-evaluate the value of child care, recognise the economic value of housekeeping labour, and foster a virtuous cycle of providing high quality housekeeping services and jobs,” said Professor Lee Mi-ae of Jeju National University, who conducted the study.

The survey was carried out between April and May last year among 21 Filipino housekeepers in their 20s and 30s, along with two translators.

Its findings were published in a journal by the Korea Association for Immigration Policy and Administration.