"Only 1 Position Open, but 3,679 Applicants Flock In"…Historic Employment Crisis Sparks Chaos in Chinese Civil Service Exam

Examinees entering the 2021 Gaokao test center. Screenshot from China News Network

Due to the economic downturn, the number of applicants for China's national civil service exam (Guokao) has exceeded 2.9 million, marking an unprecedented level of employment difficulty.

According to local media such as China Youth Daily on the 25th, the number of applicants for this year's Guokao, whose registration closed the previous day, reached 2,913,891, the highest ever recorded.

This year, the Guokao recruitment quota increased by 2,500 from last year to 39,600. Among the applicants, about 2.6 million have passed the eligibility screening so far, resulting in an average competition ratio of 66 to 1. The eligibility screening will end on the 26th, so the final competition ratio is expected to be even higher.

The position with the most applicants is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regional Affairs Division (司), which recruits science and engineering majors, attracting 5,772 applicants.

Among the applicants for this position working in Beijing, 3,786 have passed the eligibility screening and secured the right to take the exam, showing a competition ratio of 210 to 1. The final competition ratio is expected to increase after the eligibility screening ends. The popularity of this position is attributed to it being a central government civil servant role with the working condition of being based in the capital, Beijing, which drew a large number of applicants.

The position with the highest competition ratio is the Grade 1 Chief position in the Ningxia Autonomous Region Survey Team of the National Bureau of Statistics, which recorded a competition ratio of 3,572 to 1. While 3,679 people applied for one opening, 3,572 have passed the eligibility screening so far, and about 100 are still awaiting review.

The recruitment threshold was low because the application was open to majors from nine academic disciplines, and there were no restrictions on qualifications such as grassroots work experience. Local media reported that, unlike previous years, 99.5% of the recruitment quota for positions in remote western regions such as Xizang (Tibet) was filled, allowing excellent talent to be deployed to grassroots organizations.

On the other hand, there were no applicants for 137 frontline grassroots positions with poor working conditions such as border defense and strict eligibility requirements. Civil service jobs in China are stable and offer many welfare benefits, making them the most preferred jobs for university graduates, resulting in high competition every year. Due to the economic downturn, youth unemployment reached a record high of 21.3% in June, intensifying employment difficulties and making this year's Guokao competition even fiercer.

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