BEIJING — A total of 22 provinces in China have held their provincial-level civil service exams on a separate basis, planning to recruit about 80,000 public servants in total.

Compared with 2018, several provinces have cut the number of vacancies. Fujian province, for instance, plans to recruit 2,471 civil servants this year, 1,000 fewer than in last year.

The number of applicants for the hottest posts still topped 1,000.

The regions have also issued preferential policies to encourage recruitment of civil servants at grassroot level by loosening restrictions on the applicant degrees, ages and other factors.

Authorities also vowed to enforce strict discipline during exams and the review of exam papers.