By Wang Ying (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-12-10 07:32

A record of 640,000 candidates nationwide sat for the annual civil service exams on Sunday, a clear indication that many job-hunters considered the public sector one of their top choices.

An examinee shows his exam admission ticket to the photographer in a crowd as he walks into an exam venue for the annual civil service exams in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province December 9, 2007. [Xinhua]

Official figures showed that more than 800,000 applicants were approved to take the exams, but the no-shows might also be indicative of how many were discouraged by the tough selection process - one post for about every 60 candidates.

Some positions at the central Party and government organizations in Beijing saw about 160 applicants vying for one slot, Ministry of Personnel figures showed.

Last year, there were 530,000 applicants with 42 people competing for each job.

Results of the exams will be announced as early as next month.

In Beijing alone, more than 80,000 candidates attended the one-day exam at 2,690 classrooms on Sunday.

In a four and a half hour written test, applicants faced multiple-choice questions on math, logic, politics and other subjects, as well as having to write an essay.

Those who do well go on to a crucial interview stage.

"Everyone knows there is a very small chance of getting a post. But we don't want to miss the chance," said Xiao Guang, a postgraduate student in his late 20s at a Beijing university.

He gave up a job that paid an annual salary of 100,000 yuan ($13,500) in a foreign-funded company.

"I will trade a job with an annual salary of 200,000 yuan ($27,000) for a position in a government agency," he said.

Being a civil servant is now high on the wish list partly because it offers stability and prominence in society, said Cao Shu, a researcher with the National College Student Employment Guide Center.

The salaries of civil servants have also been raised several times and some still have the privilege of buying a house subsidized by the government.

For many centuries, the civil service entrance examinations served as the first step for young, educated Chinese hoping to join the imperial administration.

The test in its modern form started in the mid-1990s and has continued to see a steep rise in applicants in recent years.

Agencies contributed to the story