College graduates are being encouraged to work at grassroots positions as the annual national exam for selecting civil servants opened for registration on Oct 15, according to a release by the State Administration of Civil Service on Oct 14.

In 2020, the nation plans to recruit about 24,000 civil servants at 86 central agencies and 23 subsidiary institutions, the administration said, up from 14,500 vacancies in 2019's intake.

People can apply for the available positions until Oct 24, and the written examination will be held on Nov 24.

College graduates are encouraged to take positions in remote areas to support developments there.

Once they have gained experience, they can seek higher level positions. For those jobs, the administration prefers candidates with two years of working experience to optimize the staffing structure of central agencies and their affiliated institutions.

Required test scores or educational certificates will be lowered for candidates willing to apply to vacancies in remote areas with harsh conditions, according to the administration.

Vacancies offered by the State Taxation Administration, General Administration of Customs and Maritime Safety Administration remain the most attractive positions.

Xu Xiaodong, a 23-year-old from Shanghai studying finance who will graduate next June, said that nearly 30 percent of his classmates are applying for the examination this year.

"Most of my peers are applying for the exam because they want a stable job, as I do," he said.

"I also sent my resume to some companies, but if I pass the examination, I think being a civil servant is a better choice for me."

Political integrity will be a primary criterion, the administration said. Recruitment will also be based on the candidate's test scores, health and overall quality.

According to the administration, people who have been blacklisted for poor credit or those expelled from the Party are not allowed to take the examination.

Xinhua News Agency said that about 920,000 people took the national civil servant exam in 2018, down from 1.13 million in 2017.