The number of citizens who took the national civil service exam in Shanghai on Sunday dropped by 20 percent compared to figures in 2013.
According to data, only about 24,000 applicants from Shanghai took the exam at 29 venues, compared to 30,000 examinees at 39 locations in 2013.
The top preferred job for the applicants is in the Shanghai Customs department, with around 5,660 people applying for seven positions in the said department.
This year, only a total of 1.4 million applicants applied to take the exam, a five-year low compared to 2013's 1.52 million. Meanwhile, only 1.05 million examinees showed up to take the exam on Sunday, according to China News Service.
According to state-owned Xinhua news agency, only 990,000 applicants took the exam in 2013, which was even fewer by 130,000 from the previous year.
Xinhua added that the civil service exam is one of the decisive tests in the country. In the national government's agencies, there are only about 22,000 job vacancies available in local branches and affiliated public institutions.
The government's news agency also said that, this year, most of the available positions in government agencies higher than provincial levels will need at least two years of experience, while 10 percent of the available positions will be reserved for college graduates that will become village officials.
About 6,684 applicants showed interest for inspection posts under the Shanghai Customs, making the job Shanghai's second most popular post.
Other popular posts include the Shanghai Bureau of Local Taxation and the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.
The Offcn Education firm in Shanghai said that about 59,000 candidates took the exam in order to compete for 4,275 vacancies in the city's government agencies, compared to 68,000 examinees vying for 4,478 jobs in 2013.