Applicants for civil servant exam hit record high

More than 320,000 applicants signed up for the national civil servant exam in the first five days of registration, though more than 1,300 positions, some of which are below the county level and located in remote areas, have not received any applications.

Despite the fading appeal of government jobs, more than 100,000 people applied on Monday alone, the largest number in a single day, exam organizers said.

China kicked off registration for the 2016 national public servant exam on Thursday, with plans to recruit more than 27,000 civil servants for national-level government organs this year, a 25-percent increase from the previous year, its largest cohort of officials ever.

Registration for the exam is set to conclude on Saturday, before the written test takes place on Nov. 29.

With more vacancies available, "the competition has become less fierce," organizers said.

The competition for each position varies, with 1,430 applicants vying for a spot at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Chinese people have long regarded government posts as "golden bowls" -- offering stable income and status -- that can only be secured through fierce competition.

However, enthusiasm for government work has faded in recent years. There were about 1.4 million people who applied for the 2015 exam, down from 1.52 million in the previous year.

Experts predicted that the appeal of government jobs will continue to drop as graduates, especially elite ones, have other choices.