University students looking for work on a scholarship in Hangzhou, China. According to CNBC analysis of state media reports, 7.7 million people took the civil service exam in the 2023 job application round, competing for more than 200,000 state and county government jobs.
Qilai Shen | Corbis Historical | Getty Images
A record number of people in China took civil service exams this year, while youth unemployment soared.
According to CNBC analysis of state media reports, 7.7 million people took the civil service exam in the 2023 job application round, competing for more than 200,000 state and county government jobs.
Government jobs are generally considered stable and prestigious in China. GDP growth has slowed from the rapid pace of recent decades.
The interest in government jobs comes as Xi Jinping last week strengthened his position as China’s leader for an unprecedented third term.
Xi sees unity under the ruling Chinese Communist Party as essential to building the country. That means the party has and will increase its presence in the economy, including among non-state-owned companies.
Studying “Xi Thought” is a growing requirement for schools in China.
Millions of people seeking government jobs must take the Chinese civil service exam — which begins with questions about Xi’s report to the party congress and Xi thought in a multiple-choice section.
Here’s a sample question, from Gongkaotong, who sells civil service exam test prep questions:
Xi Jinping’s thinking about economics is an important part of Xi Jinping’s thinking about socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new age. As for Xi Jinping’s thinking about economics, how many of the following statements are correct?
① Entering a new stage of development is a historical orientation of China’s economic development
② Promoting high-quality development is a clear theme of China’s economic development
③ Adhering to the new development concept is the guiding principle of China’s economic development
④ Insisting on opening up to the outside world is the first driving force behind China’s economic development
⑤ Vigorous development of manufacturing industry and real economy is the main focus of China’s economic development
A. 2 articles
B. 3 articles
C. 4 articles
D. 5 articles
The written exam consists of two parts: a 120-minute multiple choice section on “administrative professional ability” and a 180-minute section on essay writing called “shen lun”, translated as “building and defending an argument”.
The administrative test contains questions about the Report of the National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and other rules and regulations. The exam also tests language skills, data analysis, quantitative methods, ‘judgment and reasoning’ and ‘common sense’.
Preference for young civil servants
The state expanded recruiting at the national and provincial levels by about 15% to 20%, a decision “aimed at easing unemployment pressures, particularly for college graduates.” said a state media reportciting Zhu Lijia, a professor at the party’s National Academy of Governance.
According to state media, about two-thirds of civil service positions at the national level during this round of testing were open only to recent graduates, or those who have graduated within the past two years and are unable to find a job.
Who’s hiring?
China’s Ministry of Public Security is the largest ministerial-level recruiter, according to a plan published by the National Civil Service Office.
Here is a list of some open positions:
1. China’s Ministry of Public Security: 39 positions
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 38 positions
3. General Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party: 26 entry-level positions. The department provides security, medical care and secretarial work for the top leadership of the party and government.
4. Cyberspace Administration of China: 20 positions, 12 of which will work at the Emergency Command Center of Internet Security. The regulator oversees the content and has the authority to remove apps from app stores.
Despite several attempts by CNBC, China’s National Civil Service Administration could not be reached for comment.
Senior leaders don’t need to test
The Chinese Civil Service Exam has its origins in China’s Imperial Examination System which dates back to the 6th century.
Under that system, scholars would take various levels of tests to earn government positions – it was considered a process that gave everyone a fair chance to move up the social hierarchy.
The country’s current exam system was adopted in 1993 and in 2005 it became mandatory for all entry-level government officials.
However, Xi and other senior leaders did not have to take a civil service exam to get their current positions.
By law, only “non-leadership officers below the level of a senior staff member and other equivalent positions” are required to take the test, not senior leaders.
The president, vice president, chairman of the Central Military Commission and other top government positions in China are elected through a process in which national delegates discuss and nominate one candidate for each role.
Xi secured an unprecedented third term through this process on Friday.
At the provincial or lower level, government leaders can face a maximum of one competing candidate for each position.
Safe job
Government officials in China earn a very modest salary.
But they usually get a job for life with a high social status. Preferential treatment includes bonus money at festivals, better health insurance and a higher pension allocation with no co-payments to be made.
Exact wage figures remain a sensitive subject.
We will expand employment channels to help young people realize their personal worth through hard work.
The latest state media figures show that civil servants earned an average of 48,608 yuan ($6,979) per year in 2012. The reports also showed that Xi received 136,620 yuan a year in 2015.
For a rough comparison, the salary income per capita for urban residents was 20,590 yuan in 2022, according to official figures. Salaries vary widely in China by region and job type.
Despite long-term projections of a shrinking population and workforce, the number of university graduates in China has risen to record highs in recent years.
“From an employment perspective, there is a certain amount of pressure,” Premier Li Qiang said Monday at his first press conference in the role, according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese.
“We will expand employment channels to help young people realize their personal worth through hard work.”
