BEIJING: China’s 2026 national civil service exam for central government institutions was held on Sunday amid fierce competition, with about 74 applicants vying for each available position this year.
A total of 3.718 million candidates passed the initial verification process and a total of 2.83 million people sat for the exam to compete for only 38,100 positions, making this year’s recruitment process the most intense in the exam’s history, according to State Administration of Civil Service.
The applicant pool has increased dramatically in recent years, rising from about 2.6 million in 2023 to over 3.7 million this year. One standout example of the exam’s competitiveness is a police officer position in Ruili, Yunnan province with the National Immigration Administration, which attracted 6,470 applicants for a single opening.
A significant reform to this year’s exam was the relaxation of age restrictions, which is in line with China’s progressive approach to delaying the legal retirement age. The general applicant age limit was raised from 35 to 38, while new graduates with master’s and doctoral degrees will now be eligible up to age 43, representing a three-year extension from previous limits.
Experts said this year’s national civil service exam, the first to break the “age 35 threshold”, establishes a significant precedent for more inclusive public sector recruitment processes. The reforms not only expand opportunities for experienced professionals but also set important benchmarks for private sector hiring practices, promoting ability-based talent selection across Chinese society, they said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
