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China's 2026 national civil service exam for central government institutions was held on Sunday amid fierce competition, with an average of 74 applicants vying for each available position this year.

2026年中国中央政府机构公务员考试于周日举行，竞争异常激烈，今年平均每个职位有74名考生角逐。

A total of 3.718 million candidates passed the initial verification process and about 2.83 million people sat for the exams to compete for only 38,100 positions, making this year's recruitment process the most intense in the exam's history, according to the State Administration of Civil Service.

国家公务员局数据显示，共有371.8万名考生通过初审，约283万人实际参加考试，而岗位仅3.81万个，使今年成为公务员考试史上竞争最激烈的一届。

The applicant pool has increased dramatically in recent years, rising from about 2.6 million in 2023 to over 3.7 million this year.

近年来申请人数激增，从2023年的约260万增至今年的370万以上。

One standout example of the exam's competitiveness is a police officer position in Ruili, Yunnan province with the National Immigration Administration, which attracted 6,470 applicants for a single opening.

该考试竞争激烈的一个典型例子是云南省国家移民管理局瑞丽遣返中心的一个警官职位，仅一个空缺就吸引了6470名应聘者。

A significant reform to this year's exam was the relaxation of age restrictions, which is in line with China's progressive approach to delaying the legal retirement age. The general applicant age limit was raised from 35 to 38, while new graduates with master's and doctoral degrees will now be eligible up to age 43, representing a three-year extension from previous limits.

今年考试的一项重大改革是放宽了年龄限制，这与中国逐步推迟法定退休年龄的政策相呼应。普通报考者的年龄上限从35岁提高到38岁，而硕士和博士学位的新毕业生现在最高可至43岁，比以往限制延长了三年。

Experts said this year's national civil service exam, the first to break the "age 35 threshold", establishes a significant precedent for more inclusive public sector recruitment processes. The reforms not only expand opportunities for experienced professionals but also set important benchmarks for private sector hiring practices, promoting ability-based talent selection across Chinese society, they said.

专家指出，今年全国公务员考试首次打破“35岁年龄限制”，为公共部门招聘流程