More than 1.4 million candidates sat for the 2015 civil service exam on Sunday. Although the number of applicants dropped from last year's 1.52 million, there will still be an average of 64 candidates for each of the 22,000 job openings offered by national agencies, public institutions and local governments.

Related: Interest in civil service declines

The number of people who were approved to take the national civil service exam and the number who actually took it have dropped from previous years, and part of the reason may be the Party's continuing anti-corruption efforts, experts and insiders say.

The annual exam is required for one to be hired by the central government and work as a civil servant. Millions of people take part every year, because being a civil servant is considered a decent and stable job that offers a good salary.

This year, the exam was held on Sunday. However, although 22,000 positions were offered - 3,000 more than last year - only about 1.41 million people were qualified to take the exam, and nearly 900,000 took it, the State Administration of Civil Service said.

Both figures are recent lows. Last year, 1.52 million people were approved to take the exam and 1.12 million took it to compete for 19,000 posts. [More]

Related: Govt's 'iron rice bowl' still draws job-seekers

The high-profile arrests of government officials amid China's ongoing anti-corruption campaign have done little to discourage job-seekers, especially fresh college graduates, looking for work as civil servants.

In fact, more than 1.4 million candidates have applied for the 2015 civil service exam taking place on Sunday. Although the number of applicants dropped from last year's 1.52 million, there will still be an average of 64 candidates for each of the 22,000 job openings offered by national agencies, public institutions and local governments, according to the People's Daily overseas edition.

The incentives for the incoming civil servants ranged from career dreams to the multiple welfare benefits and the consistent salary, known in China as the "iron rice bowl".

"I really want to become a civil servant. It will allow me to do what I'm majoring at and also provide an unparalleled platform for beginning conference interpreters to accumulate experience," said Ma Lin, a graduate student in the Chinese-English interpretation department of Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics who takes the exam on Sunday. [More]

A girl reads the information regarding the exam in Nanjing,on Nov 30, 2014. [Photo/IC]