Graduates of elite schools compete to become civil servants at the grassroots level, mainly due to the economy

As China’s economic downturn becomes more and more apparent, graduates from some of China’s most prestigious universities are scrambling for civil service jobs.

According to a report in the Southern Weekend, a civil service job in a township in Sichuan province attracted a large number of graduates from China’s “double first-class” universities, as well as postgraduates from overseas universities to participate in interviews.

According to the report, registration for the 2021 national civil service exam ended in early November, with 1,576,000 applicants passing the qualification test, an increase of 140,000 applicants over last year, and a 1:61 ratio of applicants accepted.

According to the report’s analysis, due to the unpredictable economic situation, the attractiveness of stable positions in the civil service is increasing for graduates of prestigious schools.

At the same time, the situation in the corporate world has many graduates worried about their future. Factors such as the “996” work system, in which Internet companies work overtime, rumors of layoffs after the age of 35 in large enterprises, and the fact that the peak period for Internet entrepreneurship has passed have made university graduates increasingly interested in positions in party, government agencies or public institutions.

According to Peking University, 49.8% of the 2,822 graduates from the university’s headquarters in 2019 went to party and government agencies and institutions, while 27.14% went to state-owned enterprises.