Beijing: Being employed as a public servant in China is viewed as a respectable job. But with the job market being so gloomy, about 50,000 candidates sat for a national exam in Shanghai to compete for 147 local government posts.
The fiercest competition was for one vacancy in the Huangpu district post administration, which attracted more than 1,100 candidates, the Shanghai Daily reported Monday.
Shanghai Customs, Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, and Shanghai Entry-Exit Frontier Inspection Station also had a huge number of candidates.
The three bodies are expected to recruit only 27 people.
Despite this, many test-takers said the exam was not the only way to secure a job.
Pan Zheying said she took the test to satisfy her parents` wishes. But she is also preparing for tests and interviews organised by business groups.
"Some state-owned companies also have aptitude tests. So it will not be waste of time preparing for the public servant exam," she said.
IANS
