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China Macro Economy
Economy / China Economy
Topic | China jobs
He Huifeng in Guangdong and Orange Wang
Published: 10:30pm, 16 May, 2021
Why you can trust SCMP
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More than 1.58 million candidates registered for China’s national civil service exam this year, up from 125,000 in 2003. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Sick of working long hours for average pay, Dong Liang is looking to throw in his job at a small tech company in Shenzhen for work with China’s civil service.
The 24-year-old from Huizhou city in Guangdong province is one of millions of young Chinese desperate to find steady work in a time of deep economic uncertainty following the coronavirus pandemic.
Though he has been employed in China’s fast-growing tech sector since he graduated in 2018, China’s vast bureaucracy holds an irresistible allure, promising a stable career for life and a host of benefits.
“I have been working a lot of overtime in the past two years and the tech company’s future is so uncertain,” he said a day before an interview for a provincial civil service job.
“Every workmate beyond 35 likes talks about their concern over job losses in Shenzhen – it’s just exhausting.”
China’s overall job market has improved steadily as the economy has rebounded from the worst of the pandemic early last year, but young people, particularly fresh graduates from universities, are
still having a hard time
finding steady employment.
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As a result, a new wave of young Chinese talent is spurning the private sector and settling for jobs with the nation’s civil service. Their enthusiasm for the public sector has only grown in recent months after last year’s economic downturn, as well as the government’s decision to delay the retirement age and the
high-profile regulatory difficulties
of some private businesses.
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KNOWLEDGE
How does China’s economy impact the world?
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More than 1.58 million candidates registered for China’s national civil service exam this year, up sharply from 1.05 million in 2009 and 125,000 in 2003. They will compete for about 25,700 jobs at ministries and state agencies, putting the average chance of landing a government job at about one in 61.
Li Dongjie plans to build a full civil service employment service chain, from exam training to headhunting services for top government jobs. Photo: He Huifeng
If provincial and municipal government exams are included, there are up to 9 million candidates – most of whom are
fresh graduates
– vying for civil service jobs each year, said Li Dongjie, who sees a growing market for his Dongliang civil servant training centre in Shenzhen.
Li’s ambitious plan is to build a full civil service employment service chain, from exam training to headhunting services for top government jobs.
China Macro Economy
Economy / China Economy
China’s private sector ‘uncertainty’ is pushing young jobseekers to look for work in its vast bureaucracy
- Millions of talented young Chinese are rejecting the private sector and settling for stable jobs with the nation’s vast civil service
- Economic uncertainty following the pandemic, a gruelling private sector work culture and good salaries are all luring new graduates
Topic | China jobsHe Huifeng in Guangdong and Orange Wang
Published: 10:30pm, 16 May, 2021
Why you can trust SCMP
73
15
More than 1.58 million candidates registered for China’s national civil service exam this year, up from 125,000 in 2003. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Sick of working long hours for average pay, Dong Liang is looking to throw in his job at a small tech company in Shenzhen for work with China’s civil service.
The 24-year-old from Huizhou city in Guangdong province is one of millions of young Chinese desperate to find steady work in a time of deep economic uncertainty following the coronavirus pandemic.
Though he has been employed in China’s fast-growing tech sector since he graduated in 2018, China’s vast bureaucracy holds an irresistible allure, promising a stable career for life and a host of benefits.
“I have been working a lot of overtime in the past two years and the tech company’s future is so uncertain,” he said a day before an interview for a provincial civil service job.
Every workmate beyond 35 likes talks about their concern over job losses in Shenzhen – it’s just exhaustingDong Liang
“Every workmate beyond 35 likes talks about their concern over job losses in Shenzhen – it’s just exhausting.”
China’s overall job market has improved steadily as the economy has rebounded from the worst of the pandemic early last year, but young people, particularly fresh graduates from universities, are
still having a hard time
finding steady employment.
Advertisement
As a result, a new wave of young Chinese talent is spurning the private sector and settling for jobs with the nation’s civil service. Their enthusiasm for the public sector has only grown in recent months after last year’s economic downturn, as well as the government’s decision to delay the retirement age and the
high-profile regulatory difficulties
of some private businesses.
NEW
KNOWLEDGE
How does China’s economy impact the world?
Get the full picture
More than 1.58 million candidates registered for China’s national civil service exam this year, up sharply from 1.05 million in 2009 and 125,000 in 2003. They will compete for about 25,700 jobs at ministries and state agencies, putting the average chance of landing a government job at about one in 61.
Li Dongjie plans to build a full civil service employment service chain, from exam training to headhunting services for top government jobs. Photo: He Huifeng
If provincial and municipal government exams are included, there are up to 9 million candidates – most of whom are
fresh graduates
– vying for civil service jobs each year, said Li Dongjie, who sees a growing market for his Dongliang civil servant training centre in Shenzhen.
Li’s ambitious plan is to build a full civil service employment service chain, from exam training to headhunting services for top government jobs.
