Social worker positions set to be major source of future civil servants

The local government planned to spend three years, starting 2009, recruiting 5,000 college graduates to work in communities as a kind of social worker. That goal has been met one year earlier than planned, as 2,534 new college graduates and 424 former village officials have been employed this year and about 2,100 people joined up in 2009, including 1,984 students who graduated that year and 116 former village officials.

"So many graduates applied for the job, it enabled us to complete the 5,000 people plan ahead of schedule," said Song Guilun, secretary of the Beijing Committee for Social Workers.