考公热

When millions of Chinese Gen-Zers decided that the dream job isn't a startup or a tech giant — it's a government desk. '考公热' (civil service exam fever) describes the explosive surge in young people cramming for the notoriously brutal national civil service exam, chasing the legendary 'iron rice bowl' of job security, steady pay, and social status. Think of it as the Chinese version of 'I just want something stable,' dialed up to a national obsession.

After years of brutal tech-sector layoffs, regulatory crackdowns on private industry, and pandemic-era economic uncertainty, China's youth unemployment hit record highs around 2022. The civil service exam (国考) suddenly looked like the ultimate safe harbor — stable salary, benefits, and prestige. Applications skyrocketed, with over 2 million people competing for roughly 30,000 posts in 2022 alone, making it one of the world's most competitive exams.

指年轻人竞相报考公务员的社会热潮，折射出就业压力与对"铁饭碗"的渴望。