A total of 930,000 applicants took the national service exam on Sunday, with one out of 33, on average, expected to get a job with the central government this year - the best odds in seven years.

The number of applicants on Sunday exceeded last year's figure by 30,000, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. A record 27,817 civil service jobs were being offered by central government departments and subsidiaries.

More than 460,000 applicants who signed up for the exam didn't show up on Sunday.

Last year, the chance of an applicant's landing a central government job was about one in 40. In the exam six years ago, it was one in 69, the Beijing Times reported.

The most sought-after post was a position offered by the China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center, which drew 2,847 applicants, according to Huatu Education, an agency that offers coaching services to applicants. The center, which helps others find jobs, required no special qualifications for the position.

The decrease in the lure of civil service jobs is evident in the drop in the number of applicants, Wang Yukai, vice-president of the China Society of Administrative Reform, an independent think tank in Beijing, told Xinhua News Agency.

"Another reason is the fact that more jobs are being offered to people who work at grassroots levels," he said.

Still, the attraction of civil service jobs remains for many. Sun Jusheng, a 28-year-old People's Armed Police officer in Beijing who will leave the service this month, said civil service jobs guarantee a stable income and thus a stable living standard.

"It would be a good training," he said. He has applied for a position offered by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and he is facing competition from 300 to 400 other applicants for the job.

Zhang Mingying, a resident in Qingdao, Shandong province, resigned from her previous job to prepare for the exam.

"The stable income is only one of the benefits of civil service jobs," she said. "They generally guarantee longer leave for marriage and longer baby breaks. The learning opportunities would also be abundant as I will get the chance to learn about national policies first."

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn