Academic bar raised for workers

The ultimatum is loud and clear for tens of thousands of young civil servants in Chongqing municipality who do not have a higher education degree: obtain one by 2016 or lose your job.

Any municipality worker aged 35 and under must obtain at least an associate degree in seven years or risk losing his or her job for being "incapable of completing assignments," according to the local human resources and social security bureau.

"The move is to encourage young employees to develop skills especially at the grassroots level," said director Jiao from the policy and regulation department of the bureau to China Daily yesterday. He refused to give his full name.