They included 327,000 applicants competing for posts in central government and provincial-level organizations, said a statement on the website of the State Administration of Civil Service (SACS).

Of those, 191,000, or 58.4 percent, had at least two years experience working in "grassroots" positions, said the statement.

Another 794,000 were for vacancies at institutions of county-level or below, with 57.2 percent of them new college graduates.

Some 168,000 more applicants were awaiting for results from recruiting bodies who would decide by 6 pm Tuesday whether they were qualified to sit the exam.

The written test of the 2011 national civil service examination is to be held on Dec 5 in major cities across China.

The annual nationwide test, sat by 927,000 people last year, continues to be seen as a route to a stable job and enviable benefits in China, where every year 6 million college graduates join the labor force.

The central government plans to recruit more than 16,000 public servants next year, 1,000 more than in 2010.

In a move to reform the civil service exam, the government has decided to offer more vacancies to applicants with at least two years of grassroots experience and to reserve vacancies for college graduates with experience as village officials, as well as workers and farmers.


Among this year's qualified applicants, just 171 are workers and farmers running for reserved vacancies in customs, state taxation and railway ****** at county-level or below.

In its earlier statements, the SACS did not specify the exact number of reserved vacancies for workers and farmers.