'Record High' Crowds at Daegu Urban Railway Corporation Recruitment Test Site EXCO 'Unusual Scene'

Attendance rate also records an all-time high of 87%... EXCO floors 1-3 divided into morning and afternoon sessions

The scene of the Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation recruitment exam held at Daegu EXCO on the 30th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] The Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation's recruitment exam, which recorded the highest competition rate in history, was held on the 30th at EXCO, Daegu's largest exhibition and convention center, amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

With over 4,000 applicants flooding in, the Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation, struggling with quarantine measures, designated the spacious and high-ceilinged EXCO floors 1 to 3 as the test sites and divided the candidates into morning and afternoon sessions.

Among the 4,150 applicants for the exam that day, a record high of 3,611 attended, marking a high attendance rate of 87%. This figure far exceeds the 81.8% in 2018 and 80.1% in 2019.

As of the 22nd, the Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation received 4,150 applications for the 2020 new employee recruitment exam for 100 positions, showing an all-time high average competition rate of 41.5 to 1. Unlike previous years where office positions had the highest application ratio, this time the mechanical positions recorded the highest competition rate at 167 to 1.

Examinees went through several steps including temperature checks, hand sanitization, glove distribution, passing through thermal cameras, and air curtains (walk-through body disinfectors). During this process, one candidate showing fever symptoms was separately tested at an outdoor test site set up outside the building.

A Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation official stated, "The high number of applicants is interpreted as a result of the employment market slump due to COVID-19 and difficulties in the heavy industry sector in the Yeongnam region," adding, "All candidates followed the quarantine guidelines well, so the exam was completed without any particular issues."