What's happened
South Korea's government has begun allowing families to hire foreign nannies to combat the world's lowest birth rate. Meanwhile, China's declining birth rate raises concerns about its economic future. Both countries face challenges in addressing childcare affordability and labor shortages in the care sector.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to the Japan Times, South Korea's government has allocated visas for 100 Filipino nannies to address childcare shortages, but the high costs associated with hiring them may limit participation. The South China Morning Post highlights that cultural concerns in China may prevent families from hiring foreign domestic helpers, despite the country's declining birth rate. Al Jazeera notes that South Korea's pilot program for foreign nannies is seen as a temporary fix rather than a comprehensive solution to the underlying issues affecting birth rates.
How we got here
South Korea's birth rate fell to a historic low of 0.72 children per woman in 2023, prompting the government to introduce foreign nannies as a potential solution. In China, the population has been declining, with a record low of 9.02 million births in 2023, raising alarms about economic implications.
More on these topics
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea.