SDG8
Tens of Thousands Attend the 2026 Southern Taiwan Job Fair; AI and Interdisciplinary Talent Remain the Key Hiring Trends
The largest recruitment event in southern Taiwan, the “2026 Southern Taiwan Job Fair,” was held this morning (the 15th) at the Kuang-Fu Campus of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), attracting 254 companies offering over 12,000 job opportunities both domestically and internationally. The opening ceremony was jointly presided over by NCKU Director of Student Affairs Liang-Yi Hong, Director of the Tainan City Government Labor Affairs Bureau Hsin-Chi Wang, and Deputy Director Hui-Hsiang Hsu of the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan Regional Branch of the Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor. Senior executives from AUO Corporation, Applied Materials Taiwan, and ASML Taiwan also attended enthusiastically.
In her remarks, NCKU Director of Student Affairs Liang-Yi Hong expressed gratitude to the participating companies and co-organizers for their strong support, which has enabled the Southern Taiwan Job Fair to continue serving as an important platform for interaction between job seekers and employers. She noted that NCKU graduates have been ranked as the most favored by employers for 12 consecutive years. In addition to their diligence, practical skills, and strong work ethic, their teamwork and resilience are also highly praised. In response to the rapid development of AI, NCKU began hosting an AI Higher Education Forum two years ago and has expanded the initiative this year, planning to hold one session every three months, with a stronger focus on enhancing students’ soft skills for future employment. In addition, the Southern Taiwan Job Fair has in recent years provided tailored job listings for PhD graduates and international students, enabling a more diverse talent-market match while hoping more outstanding talent will contribute their expertise to industry.
With warm and sunny weather in southern Taiwan today, this year’s event saw even greater attendance than last year. Upon entering the University Road gate in the morning, long queues formed, creating an impressive scene. A doctoral student in Electrical Engineering at NCKU humorously remarked that while the queue was partly due to TSMC giveaways, as graduation approaches, he hopes to find a job that balances work and life, making conversations with senior peers at recruitment booths particularly valuable. A second-year master’s student in Environmental Engineering also shared that, in addition to salary and location, company culture is a key factor when evaluating employers at the job fair.
As AI and sustainability continue to gain prominence, industries are placing increasing demand on artificial intelligence applications and interdisciplinary talent. This year, companies emphasized a balance between “hard and soft skills,” valuing not only technical expertise but also cross-disciplinary learning ability, communication skills, and teamwork. As a result, the job fair continues to reflect a strong demand for interdisciplinary and diverse talent. To attract job seekers, many company booths featured interactive experiences and specialized displays.
NCKU has long been recognized by employers as one of the most preferred sources of university talent. The Southern Taiwan Job Fair, co-organized annually with 10 universities in southern Taiwan, attracts over 10,000 participants each year. From March 12 to 14, a total of 48 company recruitment briefings were held. The on-site job fair on March 15 ran from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., featuring over 350 company booths and a highly active job-seeking atmosphere. Major participating companies with large booths included United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), AUO, Micron, Realtek, Yageo, Delta Electronics, Wistron NeWeb Corporation, Applied Materials Taiwan, Garmin, TSMC, Formosa Plastics Group, Cathay Financial Holding, Lite-On Technology, and KLA, among others, drawing large crowds of job seekers submitting resumes and seeking consultations. This year’s fair also continued to expand opportunities for senior and international talent, with 154 companies expressing demand for PhD graduates and 150 companies offering opportunities for international students.
In collaboration with 104 Job Bank, the organizers provided one-on-one resume consultation services. All 30 available sessions of 30 minutes each were fully booked in advance. A computer science graduate student shared that the consultations helped him quickly identify areas for improvement and key points in resume preparation, and he looked forward to exploring more software and firmware engineering opportunities at the event.
Recruiters on site noted that “interdisciplinary ability” has become a standard requirement in talent recruitment. Some HR representatives also remarked that NCKU students generally possess strong technical foundations and expressed a desire to meet candidates who combine both hard and soft skills, including quick responsiveness, strong communication, and problem-solving abilities.
In addition to emphasizing interdisciplinary capabilities, some job seekers shared that a key strategy is to highlight unique personal strengths. One participant shared that running a sneaker reselling business during college helped him develop communication and problem-solving skills, which he believes provide an advantage beyond professional expertise.
Taiwan remains a global hub for the semiconductor industry, with southern Taiwan playing a particularly critical role. Many job seekers at the event were graduates returning from northern universities to seek employment in their hometown. The Taiwan Stock Exchange, participating in recruitment in southern Taiwan for the first time, noted that it not only experienced the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the NCKU campus but also engaged with many candidates from finance, management, and information-related backgrounds, welcoming outstanding interdisciplinary talent in southern Taiwan.
In her remarks, NCKU Director of Student Affairs Liang-Yi Hong expressed gratitude to the participating companies and co-organizers for their strong support, which has enabled the Southern Taiwan Job Fair to continue serving as an important platform for interaction between job seekers and employers. She noted that NCKU graduates have been ranked as the most favored by employers for 12 consecutive years. In addition to their diligence, practical skills, and strong work ethic, their teamwork and resilience are also highly praised. In response to the rapid development of AI, NCKU began hosting an AI Higher Education Forum two years ago and has expanded the initiative this year, planning to hold one session every three months, with a stronger focus on enhancing students’ soft skills for future employment. In addition, the Southern Taiwan Job Fair has in recent years provided tailored job listings for PhD graduates and international students, enabling a more diverse talent-market match while hoping more outstanding talent will contribute their expertise to industry.
With warm and sunny weather in southern Taiwan today, this year’s event saw even greater attendance than last year. Upon entering the University Road gate in the morning, long queues formed, creating an impressive scene. A doctoral student in Electrical Engineering at NCKU humorously remarked that while the queue was partly due to TSMC giveaways, as graduation approaches, he hopes to find a job that balances work and life, making conversations with senior peers at recruitment booths particularly valuable. A second-year master’s student in Environmental Engineering also shared that, in addition to salary and location, company culture is a key factor when evaluating employers at the job fair.
As AI and sustainability continue to gain prominence, industries are placing increasing demand on artificial intelligence applications and interdisciplinary talent. This year, companies emphasized a balance between “hard and soft skills,” valuing not only technical expertise but also cross-disciplinary learning ability, communication skills, and teamwork. As a result, the job fair continues to reflect a strong demand for interdisciplinary and diverse talent. To attract job seekers, many company booths featured interactive experiences and specialized displays.
NCKU has long been recognized by employers as one of the most preferred sources of university talent. The Southern Taiwan Job Fair, co-organized annually with 10 universities in southern Taiwan, attracts over 10,000 participants each year. From March 12 to 14, a total of 48 company recruitment briefings were held. The on-site job fair on March 15 ran from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., featuring over 350 company booths and a highly active job-seeking atmosphere. Major participating companies with large booths included United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), AUO, Micron, Realtek, Yageo, Delta Electronics, Wistron NeWeb Corporation, Applied Materials Taiwan, Garmin, TSMC, Formosa Plastics Group, Cathay Financial Holding, Lite-On Technology, and KLA, among others, drawing large crowds of job seekers submitting resumes and seeking consultations. This year’s fair also continued to expand opportunities for senior and international talent, with 154 companies expressing demand for PhD graduates and 150 companies offering opportunities for international students.
In collaboration with 104 Job Bank, the organizers provided one-on-one resume consultation services. All 30 available sessions of 30 minutes each were fully booked in advance. A computer science graduate student shared that the consultations helped him quickly identify areas for improvement and key points in resume preparation, and he looked forward to exploring more software and firmware engineering opportunities at the event.
Recruiters on site noted that “interdisciplinary ability” has become a standard requirement in talent recruitment. Some HR representatives also remarked that NCKU students generally possess strong technical foundations and expressed a desire to meet candidates who combine both hard and soft skills, including quick responsiveness, strong communication, and problem-solving abilities.
In addition to emphasizing interdisciplinary capabilities, some job seekers shared that a key strategy is to highlight unique personal strengths. One participant shared that running a sneaker reselling business during college helped him develop communication and problem-solving skills, which he believes provide an advantage beyond professional expertise.
Taiwan remains a global hub for the semiconductor industry, with southern Taiwan playing a particularly critical role. Many job seekers at the event were graduates returning from northern universities to seek employment in their hometown. The Taiwan Stock Exchange, participating in recruitment in southern Taiwan for the first time, noted that it not only experienced the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the NCKU campus but also engaged with many candidates from finance, management, and information-related backgrounds, welcoming outstanding interdisciplinary talent in southern Taiwan.
The largest recruitment event in southern Taiwan, the “2026 Southern Taiwan Job Fair,” kicked off this morning (the 15th) at the Kuang-Fu Campus of National Cheng Kung University.
The “2026 Southern Taiwan Job Fair,” themed “Embarking on Success, Linking New Careers through Interdisciplinary Integration,” continues to emphasize AI and interdisciplinary skills as key priorities in recruitment.
Temperatures in southern Taiwan have warmed up today under clear skies. At the “2026 Southern Region Job Fair,” crowds are larger than last year, with long lines forming at the school entrance early in the morning.
In the AI era, face-to-face conversations and interpersonal interactions remain one of the key factors that companies value in talent recruitment.
Southern Taiwan is a key hub for the development of the global semiconductor industry, and many graduates from universities in northern Taiwan also returned to their hometowns to seek employment at the event.
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