China sees record 7.7 million applicants for 200,000 government jobs

A grounds fig of radical successful China took the civilian work exam this year, arsenic unemployment among young radical soared.

According to CNBC investigation of authorities media reports, 7.7 cardinal radical took the civilian work exam successful the 2023 exertion round, vying for much than 200,000 authorities jobs astatine the nationalist and provincial level.

Government jobs are typically regarded arsenic unchangeable and prestigious successful China. GDP maturation has slowed from its accelerated gait of the past decades.

The involvement successful authorities jobs comes arsenic Xi Jinping past week cemented his presumption arsenic China's person for an unprecedented 3rd term.

Xi sees unity nether the ruling Chinese Communist Party arsenic indispensable for gathering up the country. That's meant the enactment has and is acceptable to summation its beingness successful the economy, including among businesses that are not state-owned.

Studying "Xi thought" is simply a increasing request for schools successful China.

For millions of radical who privation a authorities job, they indispensable instrumentality China's civilian work exam — which starts with questions connected Xi's study to the party's congress and Xi thought successful a multiple-choice section.

Here's a illustration question, from Gongkaotong, which sells trial mentation questions for the civilian work exam:

The written exam consists of 2 parts: a 120-minute multiple-choice conception connected "administrative nonrecreational ability" and a 180-minute effort penning information called "shen lun," translated to mean "constructing and defending an argument."

The administrative trial includes questions connected the Report of the National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and different rules and regulations. The exam besides tests for connection skills, information analysis, quantitative methods, "judgment and reasoning," and "common-sense judgment."

The authorities expanded recruiting astatine the nationalist and provincial levels by astir 15% to 20%, a determination "aimed astatine easing unemployment pressure, peculiarly for assemblage graduates," a authorities media study said, citing Zhu Lijia, a prof astatine the party's National Academy of Governance.

About two-thirds of national-level civilian servant positions during this circular of investigating were lone unfastened to caller graduates, oregon those who graduated wrong the past 2 years and incapable to find employment, according to authorities media.

China's Ministry of Public Security is the biggest recruiter astatine a ministry level, according to a program published by the National Civil Service Administration.

Here's a database of immoderate unfastened positions:

1. China's Ministry of Public Security: 39 positions
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 38 positions
3. General Office of the Chinese Communist Party: 26 entry-level positions. The section provides security, aesculapian attraction and caput enactment for the apical enactment of the enactment and government.
4. Cyberspace Administration of China: 20 positions, 12 of which volition enactment astatine the Emergency Command Center of Internet Security. The regulator oversees contented and has to authorization to region apps from app stores.

China's National Civil Service Administration could not beryllium reached for remark contempt aggregate attempts by CNBC.

China's civilian work exam has its roots successful China's imperial introspection strategy dating backmost to the 6th century.

Under that system, scholars would instrumentality respective levels of tests to gain authorities positions — it was considered a process that gave everyone a just accidental to determination up successful societal hierarchy.

The country's existent exam strategy was adopted successful 1993 and successful 2005, it became mandatory for each entry-level authorities officials.

However, Xi and different elder leaders did not request to instrumentality the civilian work exam to summation their existent roles.

By law, lone "non-leadership civilian servants beneath the elder unit subordinate level and different equivalent positions" are required to instrumentality the test, not elder leaders.

The president, vice president, president of the Central Military Commission and different apical authorities positions successful China are chosen done a process successful which nationalist delegates sermon and nominate 1 campaigner for each role.

Xi gained an unprecedented 3rd term Friday done this process.

At a provincial oregon little level, heads of authorities whitethorn look astatine astir 1 competing campaigner for each role.

Government officials successful China gain a precise humble salary.

But they are typically guaranteed a occupation for beingness with precocious societal status. Preferential attraction includes bonus wage astatine festivals, amended aesculapian security and a higher pension allotment without needing to marque idiosyncratic contributions.

Exact figures connected wage stay a delicate topic.

The latest numbers reported by authorities media showed civilian servants earned an mean of 48,608 yuan ($6,979) a twelvemonth successful 2012. The reports besides showed Xi received 136,620 yuan a twelvemonth successful 2015.

For a unsmooth comparison, the per capita wage income for municipality residents was 20,590 yuan successful 2022, according to authoritative figures. Salaries alteration wide successful China by portion and occupation type.

Despite longer-term forecasts of a shrinking colonisation and workforce, the fig of assemblage graduates has climbed to grounds highs successful the past fewer years successful China.

"From the position of employment, determination is definite pressure," Premier Li Qiang said Monday successful his archetypal property league successful the role, according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese.

"We volition grow employment channels to assistance young radical recognize their idiosyncratic worth done hard work."