BEIJING — More than 1.57 million Chinese applicants are qualified to take the 2021 civil servant examination, said the State Administration of Civil Service.

According to the administration, China plans to recruit 25,700 civil servants to work for 79 central government agencies and 23 institutions directly under them in 2021.

Applicants will need to take a national written exam scheduled to be held on Nov 29 across the country, with an average of 61 applicants competing for one position, it added.

A total of 15,000 positions will be exclusively open for this year's university graduates to boost the employment of this key demographic.

More than 2,300 vacancies will be open only to those working in select primary-level projects, as well as veterans who have college degrees and served for a minimum of five years.

About 965,000 people took the national civil servant exam in 2019.