China will recruit nearly 10,000 civil servants in 2007, according to the newly released national civil servants enrollment brochure.

About 220 units, including departments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the State Council, as well as their overseas and domestic representative organizations and other affiliated organizations, will be involved in the recruitment campaign.

The exact number of posts available and specific requirements for applicants will be announced on the website of the Ministry of Personnel in mid-October. The national civil servant enrollment exam will be held in November.

According to official statistics, last year some 365,000 people around China competed for 10,282 posts in central government departments.

There were more than 1,000 applicants for some of the hottest positions, such as the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Finance.

Last year's exam abolished conditions such as household registration, gender, appearance and marriage status, so as to offer examinees equal opportunities.

Liu Jialin, former director of the civil servants management department under the Ministry of Personnel, said the applicants should analyse the requirements of each department and apply for the most suitable posts based on an objective self-assessment, rather than blindly pursuing the hottest posts.

In a cut-throat employment market, the civil service has become one of the most popular professions in the country because it offers stable income, lofty social status and excellent welfare insurance.