300,000 Applicants in Two Days After Application Opens
Strategic Moves Over Choosing Popular Departments
As the worst employment crisis in history continues in China, the competition for civil service exams is expected to become even fiercer with an increase in applicants this year.
On the 17th (local time), Beijing Youth Daily and others reported that the National Civil Service Administration saw nearly 300,000 applicants just two days after opening registration for this year's National Civil Service Exam (Guokao) on the 16th. As a result, the average competition ratio for this year's Guokao has already reached 7.4 to 1.
Some central government positions, such as those in the National Intellectual Property Administration, which are most popular among examinees, show much higher competition rates. In particular, the Nanjing National Natural Resources Inspection Bureau recorded a competition ratio of 182 to 1. It is known that examinees engage in intense strategic maneuvering over their choice of department until just before the application deadline.
This year, the Guokao is recruiting 39,600 people, an increase of 2,500 from last year's 37,100. This appears to be an effort by the authorities to alleviate employment difficulties among young people by increasing the number of recruits.
However, as the economic downturn continues, a large number of university graduates facing job shortages are expected to cause the final competition ratio for this year's civil service exam to far exceed last year's level. The number of new university graduates completing their studies in June this year also reached a record high of 11.58 million, intensifying job competition. Previously, the Guokao for last year, which was postponed due to COVID-19 and held in January this year, had 2,597,700 applicants, recording a competition ratio of 70 to 1.
South Korea, once known for 'God's workplace' civil servants... competition rates fall and retirements surge
On the morning of June 10, 2023, when the written exam for the 9th-grade local government public servant open recruitment was held, applicants for Seoul city government positions were entering the examination site set up at Gyeongbok High School in Jongno-gu. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, in South Korea, the popularity of civil servants has recently waned, leading to a decline in exam competition rates. This year's 9th-grade civil service exam competition ratio was 22.8 to 1, the lowest since 1992 (19.2 to 1). The competition ratio for the 5th-grade civil service exam has also been decreasing annually: 43.3 to 1 in 2021, 38.4 to 1 in 2022, and 35.3 to 1 in 2023.
Additionally, many civil servants choose to resign within a short period due to low salaries, rigid public service culture, and excessive work stress. According to data submitted by the Civil Service Pension Corporation to Song Seok-jun, a member of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee from the People Power Party, the number of civil servants who resigned within less than one year of service increased 3.2 times from 951 in 2018 to 3,123 last year.
Looking at the numbers by year: 951 in 2018, 1,769 in 2019, 1,610 in 2020, 2,723 in 2021, and 3,123 in 2022, the cases of civil servants resigning within one year of passing the exam are on the rise.
In particular, retirements among the 20s and 30s age group are also increasing. The number of retirees in their 20s and 30s, which was 5,761 in 2018, nearly doubled to 11,067 last year. By year, the numbers are 5,761 in 2018, 6,320 in 2019, 8,142 in 2020, 8,982 in 2021, and 11,067 in 2022.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
