【Epoch Times News, October 15, 2025】The registration for the 2026 Chinese National Civil Service Examination (“Guo Kao”), which is for central government agencies and directly affiliated institutions, started on October 14. The age limit for applicants has been raised from 35 to 38, and for fresh postgraduates to 43, but the recruitment scale has been reduced to 38,100 people. Many internet users have expressed their frustration when preparing for the exam only to find out that there are no positions available, questioning where the 38,100 positions are. On that day, “Guo Kao No Vacancies” became a hot search term on the internet.
On October 14, the Chinese Communist Party’s State Civil Service Bureau issued an announcement that the registration for the 2026 “Guo Kao” has commenced, and the written examination for public subjects will be held on November 30. The general age limit for applicants has been extended to below 38 years old, and for fresh master’s and doctoral students, it has been extended to below 43 years old. Before this, the nationwide age requirement for civil service exams was between 18 and 35 years old.
The authorities explained that this adjustment is made in accordance with the policy requirements on gradually raising the statutory retirement age and appropriately relaxing the age conditions for civil service recruitment.
However, according to an analysis by Mr. Pan, a teacher who has long been engaged in civil service exam training, the intensity of exam preparation for civil service itself is quite high. People over 35 years old already have insufficient energy, and they have to take care of their families. Without a relatively stable source of income and social accumulation, it is difficult for them to make the decision to prepare for the exam. Therefore, “even with the age extension, I don’t think there will be a large influx of candidates over 35 years old immediately.”
In recent years, the grim employment situation has led to the increasing popularity of pursuing a civil service career, resulting in a record high number of applicants for this year’s “Guo Kao”. 3.416 million candidates are competing for 39,700 positions, with a competition ratio as high as 86:1. It is worth noting that for the 2026 “Guo Kao”, a total of 38,100 people are planned to be recruited, which is a decrease of 1,600 compared to 2025.
Some internet users describe the “Guo Kao” as a fierce competition akin to a swarm of troops crossing a narrow bridge, with comments like “Although the age limit has been extended, the number of recruitments is reduced,” “Next year’s competition will be even fiercer!”, and “It’s just utterly overwhelming.”
Other internet users express their frustration, saying, “I feel like going crazy, preparing for the national exam, only to find out there are no positions available, can’t even register.” “So where are the 38,100 positions? Neither this profession nor that one has vacancies, so what’s the next step for those with no vacancies?” “What is the significance of extending the age limit to 38?”
On that day, “Guo Kao No Vacancies” became a hot search term on the internet.