Nearly 10,000 Chinese young people are competing to win a position as a receptionist for a practically powerless political party, along with the coveted “iron rice bowl” that comes along with it.
Whomever that lucky winner is will work at the reception office of the China Democratic League, one of China’s eight largely ceremonial minority parties that mostly exist so that the country can not technically be called a one-party state. The job description for this position includes welcoming visiting officials, arranging meetings and preparing for events, Tencent reports.
Almost 1.4 million Chinese are seeking stable jobs in civil service this year, but being a China Democratic League receptionist is the most highly sought-after post, attracting a total of 9,837 applicants before the deadline on Monday for registering for China’s civil service exams.
While applicants have been drawn to the job because of the absence of any real responsibility and the potential for meeting well-connected cadres, it is the lack of qualifications that make this job a real winner. The China Democratic League is welcoming any bachelor’s degree holder with two years of work experience — no Communist party membership or master’s degree required.
Officials will somehow narrow down the nearly 10,000-person applicant pool to just five job-seekers. These five will be called in for interviews, whichever applicant makes the best impression gets the precious job.
Facing an increasingly competitive employment market, young Chinese job-seekers are still seeking civil service positions, even though they don’t hold all the perks they used thanks to Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign. The BBC reports that this year each job received an average of 49.5 applicants — with some unfavorable postings in undesirable locations receiving no applications at all.
Btw, we happen to know the perfect candidate for the receptionist job!

[Images via CCTV News]