Amid Multi-Million Won Bonus Parties... Lowest 9th Grade Public Service Exam Pass Rate in 31 Years

Competition Rate Falls Below 30 to 1 for Two Consecutive Years
"Increased Exam Difficulty, Declining Educated Population" Analysis

This year, the number of applicants for the national civil service Grade 9 open competitive recruitment exam decreased by about 40,000 compared to last year, resulting in the lowest average competition rate in 31 years. The abolition of elective high school subjects, which increased the difficulty of the exam, and the decline in the school-age population are cited as the causes.

On the 8th, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced that a total of 121,526 people applied for 5,326 positions in the Grade 9 national civil service open competitive exam. This corresponds to a competition rate of 22.8 to 1, the lowest since 1992 when it was 19.2 to 1.

The competition rate for the Grade 9 civil service open exam peaked at 93.3 to 1 in 2011 and has steadily declined since then. The years when the competition rate fell below 30 to 1 were only 1992, 2022, and this year. Over the past five years, the competition rates for the Grade 9 national civil service open exam have dropped annually from 39.2 to 1 in 2019, 37.2 to 1 in 2020, 35 to 1 in 2021, to 29.2 to 1 last year.

Candidates heading to the interview location for the 2021 National Civil Service Grade 9 Open Competitive Recruitment Interview Exam.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

An official from the Ministry of Personnel Management said, "Although the competition rate itself was lower before the 1990s, the number of recruits and the recruitment market atmosphere at that time were different, so it is difficult to attach much significance." He added, "Since the 1990s, this is the lowest competition rate since 1992, and it is practically the first time that the rate has fallen below 30 to 1 for two consecutive years."

Looking at the competition rates by recruitment field, the administrative sector recruited 4,682 people with 105,511 applicants, resulting in a 22.5 to 1 ratio, while the technical sector recruited 644 people with 16,015 applicants, resulting in a 24.9 to 1 ratio. The highest competition rate was seen in the education administration (general) category, which recruited 62 people and attracted 12,177 applicants, resulting in a competition rate of 196.4 to 1.

The average age of applicants was 29.9 years, with those aged 20 or younger making up the largest portion at 57.3%, followed by those in their 30s at 33.7%, and those in their 40s at 8.1%. Applicants aged 50 and above numbered 1,087, accounting for 0.9%.

The Ministry of Personnel Management cited the abolition of elective high school subjects and the decline in the school-age population as reasons for the decrease in competition rates. The elective high school subject system was a system that allowed candidates to choose high school subjects such as social studies, science, and mathematics in addition to specialized subjects like public administration and administrative law for the Grade 9 exam. It was implemented from 2013 to 2021 and abolished last year.

The Ministry explained that the number of applicants for the Grade 9 open exam averaged 147,000 from 2010 to 2012, increased to an average of 202,000 during the implementation of the elective high school subject system from 2013 to 2021, but dropped to 144,000 after the system was abolished.

The perception that "there is a lot of work but low pay" also seems to have influenced the decline in competition rates. The starting salary for Grade 9 civil servants is 1,770,800 KRW, which is below the minimum wage.

The Ministry of Personnel Management stated that it will continue to review improvements in treatment for lower-level and practical positions and will present various measures to secure talent.

Meanwhile, the results of the Grade 9 open exam written test will be announced on May 17, and the test locations will be announced through the Cyber National Examination Center on the 31st of this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.