Public jobs lose unrealistic appeal

Working as a civil servant may still be a preferred choice for many job seekers, but the just-concluded national civil service exam has demonstrated an increasingly rational approach to what used to be widely considered an "iron rice bowl".

Since the country introduced the national exam for selecting government employees in 1994, the exam has become an annual event, and the following two decades saw an ever-growing number of candidates hoping to land one of what were widely perceived to be among the most desirable jobs.

However, the declining interest in government jobs in recent years reflects the fact that job hunters now hold a more realistic perception of what it means to be a civil servant, and the income and welfare they can expect in such a role.