Over 1.1 million candidates today appeared for China's National Public Servant Examination, a leap from last year's 984,000 aspirants.
This is the second time that the number of candidates crossed the one million mark, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
Over 28,000 positions are expected to be filled this year, an increase of 1,472 posts as compared to the previous year. This year, only one out of every 39 candidates is expected to get a government job.
As compared to last year, this year's exam saw an increase of 76,000 applicants for the grassroots positions in difficult and remote areas, perhaps the result of the lower application thresholds for such posts, an inspector at the State Administration of Civil Service was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
In contrast, the most popular position had more than 2,000 candidates this year, much lower than the number for the hottest position last year, which was pursued by 9,837 applicants.
The results of the written exam, held today, would be announced in January next year along with the list of successful candidates who would appear in the interview in March.
Civil servant jobs are much sought after by Chinese as they offer a relatively stable career, making the exam one of the most competitive tests in the country.
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