(ECNS) - Since the traditional job-hunting season started in February, more than 10,000 Chinese civil servants have signed up for private sector jobs, up 34 percent over the same period last year, according to a report released by zhaopin.com.
Those who plan to quit their current job mostly set their sights on careers in the real estate industry, financial institutions and the information technology sector, according to the report by the Beijing-based employment website.
"Previously, we didn't pay attention to this group, since very few civil servants quit their jobs. But it is a major phenomenon this year," Huang Ruoshan, the website's senior career consultant, was quoted by the Southern Metropolitan Daily as saying on Wednesday.
"After interviewing some of the applicants, we learned that it was partly because of the anti-corruption drive," said Huang.
Since President Xi Jinping launched his austerity and anti-graft campaigns in 2012, government servants and officials have seen a drastic cutback in perks such as banquets and cars paid for by the state. They are also forbidden from receiving "gifts," whether from their subordinates or people seeking favors.
But some observers see it as the "free flow of talent," rather than an outflow of civil servants.
