(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-11-30 07:21

It is time to cool the enthusiasm of people wanting to join the civil service, says an article in the website of People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

Many people rush to sign up for the civil servant examination, and this has frequently hit the headlines.

Some of the reasons are obvious. At present, it is rather difficult for students to find jobs. The country has adopted various policies to guide students on employment. For example, the government encourages them to work in remote areas, start up their own businesses or to find jobs in privately-owned or foreign companies.

But many students still place the civil service at the top of their employment list. Therefore, no matter whether they will be recruited or not, they all want to take the required examination.

Employment in the civil service today is an indicator of how the society is thinking.

In the 1980s, many people including civil servants, quit their iron-rice-bowl or stable jobs, to start their own businesses to make more money. Today, to be a civil servant tops the job popularity list. Obviously, it is a stable job and involves lots of power. In addition, it is also because of present conditions. For example, few factories and companies have raised the salaries of their staff while the salaries of civil servants have been raised several times.

Housing is another example. Some civil servants still have the privilege to buy a house subsidized by the government.

It is not a bad thing that people want to join the civil service, but there are drawbacks. Most importantly, we should prevent the iron-rice-bowl mentality from reappearing. If all other jobs are not stable except the civil service, its employees will definitely develop a superiority complex.

People still remember the low efficiency of the past iron-rice-bowl set.

(China Daily 11/30/2007 page10)