China has increased the age cap for its 2026 civil service applications from 35 to 38, with some applicants also eligible until they are 43—the adjustment ends more than three decades of the “35-year rule,” which has governed public-sector recruitment since 1994. At the same time, an official note stated that this years exam will recruit 38,100 new civil servants, down 1,602 from last year and marking the first decline in hiring since 2019.
The move aims to address the country’s aging population, but it feels more like a PR effort, and from a jobs standpoint it may even make things more difficult for some in that there will be less jobs and greater competition for those roles. Civil service jobs are already wildly over-subscribed and offering more people the chance to apply for less positions is only going to exacerbate the issue. And at the same time, allowing older applicants is going to place more pressure on youth unemployment, which reached a reported 18.9% in August.