A total of 775,000 people took a nationwide exam in 38 cities of China yesterday to qualify for 13,500 posts as national civil servants.
The intense competition means at least 98 out of every 100 exam takers have no chance for success.
Local departments, in cooperation with the police and radio management bureaus, yesterday cracked down on exam cheaters using wireless apparatus and the Internet, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Those who cheated in the exam would have ''zero score'' and would not be allowed to apply for the exam for the next five years, the ministry said. It said departments had ensured exam papers were not leaked before the test.
The 2009 central government recruitment offered 13,500 positions, roughly the same as in previous years. The results for the written exam would be announced in January and those who passed would enter into the interview round.
A government job is still considered a plum post for university graduates and other Chinese job-seekers as the global financial crisis has prompted many private companies to cut the number of employees.
The economic and social status, welfare insurance and prestige associated with a government position in China had attracted more and more applicants.
The Guangzhou Daily reported more than 4,500 applicants were competing for a position with the China Disabled Persons' Federation, ranking it as the most popular government post among exam takers.
Positions with seismological bureaus were also popular with this year's exam takers, according to the Modern Express, a newspaper based in Jiangsu Province. The demand was partly due to the devastating earthquake that struck Sichuan in May.
