Civil service jobs are top of the wanted list

A record number of people are seeking jobs as city civil servants this year.

The Shanghai Personnel Bureau announced yesterday that more than 45,000 people successfully applied for the civil servant recruitment test through the online application system this year, compared with the 38,000 applicants last year.

The bureau announced early last month that the city was recruiting 3,455 people to join city and district governments this year.

That means an average of 13 people are competing for each position, according to the Shanghai Professional Test Authority, the exam organizer.

College graduates remained the largest group of applicants but a specific breakdown of all the applicants is not yet available.

Dong Haijun, an authority official, said the increasing interest in civil service jobs had been caused by high unemployment pressure in recent years.

"Different from other academic exams or professional qualification tests, young people will immediately have their job problem solved after passing the test," Dong said.

"As students are comparatively good at taking tests, plus government jobs' favorable welfare and stability, all that makes civil servant a hot choice."

Last December, the national-level civil servant test attracted nearly 20,000 locals to apply for government agency positions in the city, putting the supply-to-demand ratio at about 30:1. Exams are scheduled to be held at 81 exam sites in nine downtown districts this weekend.

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