A TOTAL of 23,200 people appeared for the written part of the annual municipal civil service examination Sunday (July 15), vying for 695 openings, according to the municipal personnel bureau.

Of the applicants, 480 were competing for the single vacancy of clerk with the municipal land resources and housing management bureau.

The number of examinees was the largest in the city's history, according to the personnel bureau. They appeared for the exam at 24 venues across the city.

Those who pass the written examination will appear for an interview later.

The 51 most popular vacancies have more than 100 applicants each. The 17 least popular positions each have fewer than three applicants. Three positions have no applicants at all: two prison positions for law graduates and one vacancy at Fuyong Subdistrict for data processing.

More applicants became eligible for this year's test after the personnel bureau made changes to the selection process. In the past, some positions were tailor-made for certain examinees who had contacts in government departments, which set restrictions in the form of age, height and specific work experience, but this year government departments are banned from setting strange requirements on applicants.

Editor: Wing