Japanese firms have held a job fair in Thailand as competition intensifies to hire local talent.

About 50 companies from the manufacturing and service sectors set up booths at the Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology in Bangkok which organized the event.
The university was established with the support of Japanese industries.

Around 800 people attended, mainly students who are due to graduate this year. One of them said he wants to become a good engineer and make people happy through his work.

A representative of Takahashi Metal Industries said his company is stepping up efforts to recruit foreign workers as it is becoming more difficult to hire young engineers in Japan.

The university teaches Japanese-style business management in Japanese. It organizes hands-on learning at Japanese factories in Thailand as it is expected to be a source of local talent.

The university's President, Rungsun Lertnaisat, said students are not only seeking jobs at Japanese firms in Thailand, but also in Japan. He wants firms to hire students who are taking computing courses as well.

As foreign companies expand their business in Thailand, it is getting harder to find good employees. Japanese firms are competing for human resources with rivals from countries including China and South Korea.