China civil service and postgraduate exam cycles

China has released the schedules and procedures for its 2027 civil service and postgraduate entrance examinations. The civil service recruitment process introduced new real-name authentication measures using electronic social security cards to prevent fraud, aiming to recruit approximately 357,000 individuals.

Following the conclusion of the registration period, 3.025 million candidates were approved for the National Civil Service Exam. This figure represents the first decline in approved applicants in seven years, decreasing by approximately 693,000 compared to the previous year. This downward trend is attributed to a smaller recruitment scale, stricter identity verification, and shifting candidate priorities regarding long-term exam preparation.

While competition remains high for specific roles—such as a single vacancy in Jilin Province attracting over 6,000 applicants—83 positions across the Maritime Safety Administration, Railway Police, and border inspection systems received no applications.