China kicked off registration on Thursday for the 2016 national public servant exam with plans to recruit its largest cohort of officials ever, despite waning interest in civil service among young people.
The country plans to recruit 27,000 civil servants for national-level government organs, a 25-percent increase from the previous year. The number of recruits was 15,290 in 2011 and 10,282 in 2006.
Chinese people have long regarded government posts as "golden bowls" -- offering stable income and status -- that can only be secured through fierce competition.
Usually, there are an average of 50 applicants per open position, and the most coveted jobs attract 100 hopefuls for each vacancy. Last year, nearly 1 million people sat for the exam to compete for only 22,249 government positions.
However, enthusiasm for government work has faded in recent years. There were about 1.4 million people who applied for the 2015 exam, down from 1.52 million in last year.
Graduates are eyeing bigger salaries in private companies and starting their own businesses as economic growth drives up housing prices and living costs.
Salaries for most government jobs are quite low, though the positions may include undisclosed perks. Previously, public servants were allocated low-cost housing, but such benefits have been eliminated in many government organs.
A police officer in Beijing, who has worked for two years and asked to remain anonymous, told Xinhua he earned about 5,000 yuan (some 790 U.S. dollars) a month. Salaries for his colleagues working longer are a bit higher.
A former staff member of the Beijing municipal government, who also asked not to be identified, said her monthly salary was about 5,500 yuan. She quit this year and is now working for a bank where her salary is four times higher.
A sweeping anti-graft campaign has cracked down on illicit perks from official posts, or "gray income," making the bureaucratic path less appealing for those who want to make a fortune.
Senior sociologist Zhang Baoyi predicted a slight increase in applicants for next year's public servant exam due to an increase in vacancies.
The slowing economy and tightened job market will also compel some graduates to seek jobs in the government, according to Zhang.
Zhang added the increase in vacancies is a result of a shift toward a more service-based government, as well as a normal supply-demand response. "This shift requires more people to work at community-level organs to improve public affairs management," Zhang said.
Qualified employees are urgently needed in some sectors, such as tax and auditing departments, he said.
