Young Chinese flock to civil service

This is a fierce competition, when out of 2.5 million candidates, only 39,700 will be selected to work in state agencies by 2025.

To become a civil servant, candidates must apply for a position. After screening, qualified candidates take a written exam, which covers political theory and general knowledge. Those who pass the exam are interviewed and undergo a health and background check.

In addition to national civil service recruitment, localities also have their own recruitment processes.

China’s government job boom began during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the government tightened its grip on industries ranging from real estate to technology, shaking up the labor-hungry private sector.

Zhang Shuaikang, 23, was among millions taking the recent civil service exam in the city of Harbin. ''My dream is to become a policeman,'' said the design graduate.

Four of Zhang's six roommates also took the civil service exam because they believed the job was stable, paid well, and allowed them time for family.

In China, being a civil servant is considered an ideal career choice because of its stable income and benefits, and low risk of unemployment.

The pandemic has made workers want to become civil servants even more, when the economy is in trouble and businesses are slowing down. The number of candidates taking the civil service exam in 2024 in China has doubled compared to four years ago.

Competition is fiercest not in the big cities but in Tibet, a remote region in China's southwest, where an average of 150 candidates compete for each position, despite some public agencies facing delays in paying salaries and cutting staff.

This shows that the employment situation in the private sector is worse with fewer good and less stable jobs, said Zhu Tian, ​​an economics professor at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.

The reality is that the private sector, which employs more than 80% of the urban workforce, is suffering from pay cuts and layoffs due to the economic downturn.

According to data from the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, in 2023, China's top 500 private companies cut more than 300,000 jobs compared to the previous year.