The civil servant examination is seen as the most popular examination among job hunters in China. However， statistics show that in Beijing， Shanghai and provinces like Zhejiang and Guangdong， the number of applicants for the examination has been on the decline. In east Chinas Zhejiang Province， which enjoys the most developed private economy in the country， 227，000 sat the exam this year， a significant drop compared to last years 360，000.

For many years， the competition for civil servant posts was cutthroat， as the number of applicants outweighed the availability of positions. Faced with a tough employment situation， finding a stable and decent job such as being a civil servant is seen as the best choice for many university graduates. However， with the reports of civil servantscomplaints about bad welfare treatment and heavy work stress appearing， the attraction of being a civil servant to young people seems to be waning. The following are excerpts of opinions concerning this issue：

Yu Zeyuan （www.chinanews.com）： Stable incomes， high medical and pension insurance and other advantages make being a civil servant attractive to many college graduates in China. But in fact， salaries of civil servants are not as high as many think. In the coastal economically developed regions， ordinary civil servants will not necessarily be able to live a more decent life than others if they depend on their salaries alone. So why are so many people still tripping over themselves to become a civil servant？ Being a civil servant means no unemployment risk. Compared with high unemployment risks and low welfare at non-governmental institutions， such as private enterprises， being a civil servant is a much better choice. Another reason is that civil servants have access to all kinds of privileges that are unavailable to ordinary people， and sometimes， these privileges can be transferred to tangible interests.

Zhang Guoyu （www.youth.cn）： A decreasing number of young people applying for the national civil servant examination shows that the desirability of these jobs is starting to wear off. This is good news for both individuals and the country. There are two main reasons for this. First， the anti-corruption campaign is stripping civil servants of privileges， hidden welfare and gray incomes. Second， the countrys government streamlining administration policy is stripping down large government organs， leading to a reduced demand for civil servants.

To some extent， this implies that in Chinese society， young people have developed a broader vision for their careers. Some people are pursuing higher incomes， some pursue more freedom， while some others expect bigger developments in the future.endprint

No matter what kind of work they are engaged in， recent graduates must try not to expect too much. They can work with a business， or in government departments， as long as they are making use of their expertise and ability for the countrys development.

The modernization of state governance relies on the modernization of the young. Therefore， its important for young civil servants to be able to devote themselves to the countrys development and progress， instead of only being interested in the benefits brought by this job.

For civil servants， the most important trait is a desire to make a contribution to society， to fulfill ones dream through contributions to the country and to the people. They are supposed to work for the greater good and the happiness of other people. Civil servants do not create wealth or value， but they are able to obtain this goal by guiding and helping the public to create wealth and value. Its thus important to bring devoted young people into the army of civil servants. Incentive and restrictions are also crucial in encouraging them to do what should be done and discouraging them from what should not be.

Li Wei （Fujian Daily）： This years civil servant examination came to an end in more than 10 provinces on April 12. Around 2 million applicants competed for just 70，000 posts， showing that the demand for civil service posts has not cooled down yet， which strikes a sharp contrast to job hunters indifference to ordinary enterprises.

The so-called “craze” for civil servant posts is actually a comparative concept， compared to peoples indifference to jobs in enterprises. However， the difficulty facing enterprises in employing good workers does not exist in all enterprises. Big enterprises offer good salaries and welfare to attract job hunters. It is small and medium-sized enterprises that find themselves in an embarrassing situation. Therefore， its necessary for the government to reduce tax burdens on businesses. When enterprises can also grant employees stable salaries and good welfare， the attraction of being a civil servant to young graduates will naturally decline.

To make the positions less attractive， its also important to change peoples deep-rooted idea that becoming a state official will ensure them a better life. The existing dual-track pension and medical insurance system， which is unfair to most people， also need reform to dissuade people from taking the civil service posts.endprint

Its important to let people engaged in all jobs fully feel fairness and equality in rights， opportunities， treatments， and so on， so that the young will have a broader potential for development， and naturally the craze for civil service posts will recede.

Zhang Yan （www.zynews.com）： For years， a large number of people rushed to compete for the very limited civil service posts available every year. As a result， a lot of excellent people gather in government departments， while other fields receive relatively few excellent workers. This will lead to the reduction of social vitality and creativity， further curbing social development. Meanwhile， a swelling civil servant group will add to the public and societys burdens. Therefore， the decline in popularity of working as a civil servant is a good thing and is beneficial to society as a whole.

We have noticed that some civil servants regret their career choice. They complain about poor treatment and demand higher salaries. In a normal society， every social group or class is supposed to have the right to express their own opinions. Complaints， particularly from community-level civil servants， should also be taken seriously.

However， compared to people working in other fields， civil servants enjoy stable incomes and good welfare， generally above the average level. They live in a relatively free and stable situation， enjoy all state holidays. For these reasons， civil servants wont give up their posts easily. Despite the small decline in demand for civil service jobs， the absolute number of examination participants this year is still huge.

In a good society， an excellent person will find it possible to do something and achieve something in every sector. A societys progress will be affected when highly qualified people all rush to find shelter under the umbrella of civil service.

Actions like strengthening restriction on civil servants and stepping up anti-graft efforts， which may help to reduce privileges enjoyed by civil servants， will guide the young to make wiser choices when hunting for jobs. When talking about salary increases for civil servants， attention should also be paid to the balance of income distribution for the whole of society. To cool the youngs enthusiasm for civil service posts and make it possible for them to purse their dreams in posts where they are really interested in is what society really needs.endprint