Migrant Workers, Split Labor Markets, and Racial Conflicts in South Korea’s Shipyards

• In Event: Mobility Regimes in the World-System

Abstract

The global surge in demand for low-carbon vessels amid decarbonization efforts has triggered a boom in South Korea’s shipbuilding industry in the 2020s, resulting in labor shortages and a massive influx of migrant workers. Based on two years of fieldwork and interviews (2024-2025), this study examines why this influx occurred and how it has transformed the labor market, workplace relations, and intra-working-class dynamics in Korea’s large shipyards. We illustrate how new visa categories designed for skilled workers have paradoxically promoted the temporary migration of less-skilled workers, deepening labor market segmentation along employment-status and racial lines. The resulting labor market in Korea’s shipyards is segmented into three tiers: native regular workers (mostly unionized), native non-regular workers (rarely unionized), and contract migrant workers. Driven by a desire to reduce the influence of unionized regular workers, Korean shipbuilders are leveraging automation (under the banner of smart autonomous shipyards) to deskill production, further facilitating the replacement of native workers with migrant contract workers. These structural shifts have reconfigured workplace relations. While native non-regular and migrant workers—who account for the vast majority of production labor—face low wages and poor working conditions, native regular workers prioritize job security and advocate for restrictive migration policies. Unions of native non-regular workers seek to organize migrants but face significant organizational hurdles. Ultimately, Korean shipyards stand at a crossroads: either intensified racial conflict between native regular workers and the growing migrant workforce, or a new solidarity between native non-regular and migrant workers that could improve conditions for all subcontracted labor.

Authors

• Minhyoung Kang, Korea University

• Taejeong Lee

• Woosik Kim, Korean Metal Workers’ Union Research Center