As night fell and the city lights came on, the Laomendong scenic area was bustling with activity on the evening of January 9th. The inaugural 2026 "Job Opportunities in Jinling, Immediate Openings" Nanjing Talent Night Market event kicked off amidst the lively atmosphere. Zhang Yijia, a senior marketing major from Chengxian College of Southeast University, clutched promotional materials from several companies she was interested in. "I saw the information on a public account and made a special trip from Pukou to enjoy the scenery and see the lanterns, while also looking for a job—killing multiple birds with one stone!" she exclaimed. At this recruitment event, guided by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security and hosted by the Provincial Talent Flow Service Center and the Nanjing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, over 50 employers set up stalls to "recruit by lamplight." They offered 148 positions spanning multiple industries such as software information, intelligent manufacturing, and cultural tourism commerce, providing more than 2,300 job openings. Using the night market as a platform, the event integrated job seeking and recruitment into the city's nightlife, creating a path for a "two-way奔赴" between talent and employers under the glittering lights. On the evening of January 9th, the inaugural session of the 2026 "Job Opportunities in Jinling, Immediate Openings" Nanjing Talent Night Market was held beside the city wall within the Confucius Temple Laomendong scenic area. "Night Gathering, Golden Opportunities": Diverse Positions Precisely Match Supply and Demand "Our new store in the scenic area will cater to a large number of young tourists. The Talent Night Market has a much higher foot traffic than traditional job fairs, and the crowd is younger, which perfectly matches our staffing needs," said Zhao Xinyi, the recruitment lead for Jiangsu Baoqing Jewelry Co., Ltd., noting that this recruitment event was "perfectly timed." "Holidays and festivals are peak consumption periods for the jewelry industry. Coupled with our company's plans to open new stores in both Laomendong and the Confucius Temple scenic areas, we urgently need to replenish fresh blood for positions like counter sales," Zhao Xinyi explained. She added that the company's e-commerce department also plans to form a new team after the New Year to expand onto platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, and will continue to attract talent through various channels. In front of the Nanjing Big Data Group stall, recruitment information for nine mid-to-high-level positions, including Large Model Engineers and O&M Engineers, also attracted many驻足onlookers. "Our recruitment drive this time is to build a talent pipeline for new projects scheduled after the holiday," said Liu Fangbo, Head of the Group's Human Resources Department. He mentioned that several subsidiary companies had recently secured new operations and maintenance projects, creating an urgent need for professional support. These science and technology innovation roles offer monthly salaries exceeding ten thousand yuan, with the highest annual package reaching 450,000 yuan, primarily targeting recent graduates, unemployed graduates, and experienced professionals. In Liu Fangbo's view, Laomendong's high popularity and rich cultural atmosphere allow out-of-town visitors to explore job opportunities while sightseeing. This not only broadens the recruitment channels for companies but also enhances Nanjing's appeal as a destination for talent. At the recruitment stall of Jiangsu Changjing Pulian Power Semiconductor Co., Ltd., the demand for inspectors and operators was particularly noticeable. Personnel specialist Wu Xinxin was busy answering inquiries from interested candidates. "The pre-holiday period is a peak time for staff turnover in the semiconductor industry. Combined with our recent expansion of operator positions, we do have a significant staffing gap at the moment," she said. She noted that the novel format of the scenic area talent night market encouraged many citizens and tourists to inquire about opportunities during their leisure time, thereby expanding the recruitment reach and providing companies with a high-quality channel for attracting talent. On-site, well-known service enterprises like JD Home Services, SF Express, and Haidilao also brought a large number of life service positions. These roles offered flexible entry requirements, providing broad choices for individuals facing employment difficulties, those in flexible work arrangements, and job seekers looking for opportunities close to home. The simultaneous appearance of new professions and roles, such as Digital Verification Engineers and Short Video/Livestreaming Specialists, ensured that diverse groups of job seekers could find suitable employment opportunities here. Integrated Services: "One-Stop" Employment Support Unlocks a New Job Hunting Experience "This 'browse-while-you-stroll' recruitment method is so comfortable; there's no sense of pressure at all!" remarked Zhang Yijia, who, after detailed inquiries at several company stalls, submitted her resume to her preferred employers. Zhang Yijia said that compared to the formal atmosphere of conventional recruitment fairs held in office buildings, the lively and relaxed ambiance of the scenic area talent night market made the job-seeking process much more enjoyable. With beautiful lantern displays to admire and the ability to access information from multiple companies "under one roof," she found this immersive job-hunting experience particularly satisfying. A 26-year-old Master's graduate in finance, surnamed Tu, had originally come just to visit the scenic area. He unexpectedly encountered the recruitment event and decided to stop and immerse himself in the job hunt. "The scenic area itself is popular and has high foot traffic, so this event naturally has great buzz. It was such a fortunate coincidence!" After some screening, Mr. Tu precisely connected with several companies recruiting for finance-related positions. The positive experience for job seekers was underpinned by the "one-stop" integrated services available at the event. To achieve the service goal of "delivering policies, finding jobs, and enhancing skills," this talent night market featured four functional zones in addition to the recruitment area, making the job-seeking process more rewarding. The Policy Consultation Zone focused on the newly released Nanjing Talent Policy 2.0, providing authoritative explanations on employment and entrepreneurship, file consultation, skills upgrading, social security card processing, and talent housing support. It simultaneously promoted the "HR Ning Zhida" online intelligent Q&A mini-program, making policy benefits readily accessible. The Career Empowerment Zone invited human resources experts to offer on-site "consultations," providing personalized services for resume optimization, career planning, and AI模拟面试, helping job seekers enhance their competitiveness. The Cultural Tourism Display Zone and Interactive Check-in Zone blended local intangible cultural heritage with fun interactions, allowing job seekers to experience Nanjing's urban cultural heritage while searching for jobs, further enhancing the overall event experience. The Laomendong Talent Night Market will have a fixed venue for future events. Steady Progress: Creating a New Landmark for Employment Services As the inaugural move by Nanjing's human resources departments to regularize nighttime employment services, the Laomendong Talent Night Market breaks the temporal and spatial constraints of traditional recruitment fairs. It brings employment services closer to people's daily lives and injects new vitality into the city's nighttime economy. Chen Wei, Deputy Director of the Market Development Department at the Nanjing Talent Service Center, stated that Nanjing would subsequently adopt a dual-track model combining "regular + special" events to make nighttime employment services a regular, large-scale occurrence. Regular night markets will be held monthly at municipal and district-level public employment service venues, with schedules announced in advance via the "南京人社" and "Nanjing Talent Service Center" WeChat official accounts. Concurrently, aligning with seasonal trends and major events, special talent night markets will be held irregularly in commercial districts, popular scenic spots, transportation hubs, and other high-traffic areas, ensuring employment services resonate with the pulse of city life. Notably, the second Laomendong Talent Night Market is scheduled for the evening of January 23rd at the Mendong Community Party-Mass Service Center (No. 15 Wubanqiao, next to the Laomendong Tourist Center). This location will serve as the permanent venue for the Laomendong Talent Night Market. Furthermore, talent night markets across Nanjing's various districts will continue as fixed service programs at locations such as "doorstep" employment service stations, casual labor service stations, human resources markets, and sub-district convenience service centers.