This year's competition rate for the Level 9 local government civil service recruitment exam has dropped to its lowest level in the past five years. The relatively low wages compared to private companies, as well as a rigid organizational culture, are cited as the main reasons.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on June 18, the number of candidates to be recruited for the Level 9 general and police recruitment exams this year is 13,596, with 119,066 applicants, resulting in a competition rate of 8.8 to 1. This is a slight decrease compared to last year’s 10.4 to 1.

Preference for private companies, growing aversion to public servants
Impact of low wages and rigid organizational culture
Number of applicants hits lowest in 5 years
Busan 29 to 1 vs Chungnam 5 to 1 'polar opposites'
Did changes in the exam system also have an effect?

Looking at the competition rates for the Level 9 general and police written exams over the past five years, it dropped from 10.3 to 1 in 2021 to 9.1 to 1 in 2022, then rose to 10.7 to 1 in 2023 and 10.4 to 1 in 2024. This year’s rate is the lowest in the past five years.

By region, Busan recorded the highest competition rate at 29.1 to 1. In contrast, Chungnam had the lowest at 5.4 to 1. By recruitment category, the administrative category had a competition rate of 10.6 to 1, while the science and technology category was 6.2 to 1. By age group, those aged 20 to 29 accounted for 48.3%, followed by those aged 30 to 39 at 37.6%, those aged 40 and above at 13.4%, and those aged 19 and under at 0.6%.

Among the applicants, women accounted for 56.7% and men for 43.3%, with the proportion of women dropping slightly from last year’s 57.5%.

This year’s written exam will be held simultaneously on June 21 in 17 cities and provinces. Starting this year, the focus of the Korean and English subject exams has shifted from knowledge memorization to practical job competency, and the exam duration has been extended by 10 minutes, from 100 minutes to 110 minutes. Detailed information such as test locations by city and province can be found on the respective local government websites and the Local Government Internet Application Center website. The results of the written exam will be announced in July through the websites of each city and province.

Kim Minjae, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "We hope that this exam will allow local talent to enter public service," adding, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will actively cooperate with local governments to ensure that the written exam is conducted safely and fairly, providing full support for situation management and other needs."