For the last two decades, however, it has seen a mass exodus of manufacturers, and Taiwanese farmers have been battling tough foreign competition. Kaohsiung County found itself reeling from chronic high unemployment. Kaohsiung owned the unenviable position of first place in joblessness for years, reaching a new record in 2001 with 5.68 %.
然而，在近 20 年來製造業大量外移，農業又面臨國外農產品叩關的嚴峻挑戰下，也讓高雄縣長期處於高失業率的窘境，更一度在這個項目拿下不名譽的全國第一，並在民國 90 年創下 5.68 % 的歷史高點紀錄。