A record 1.04 million people sat China's annual national civil service exam on November 29. But just one in 69 of the candidates will be appointed.

Whether the entrants are attracted by the ideal of public service or by the high pay and relative security of government employment, it is surely not normal for such large numbers to pin their hopes on this sole employment channel.

In the old planned economy a civil service job meant an "iron rice bowl", of lifelong employment and free medical service.

Reform and opening up policy, saw the 'iron rice bowl' gradually phased out, but subsequent economic development has seen civil service pay grow rapidly. Combined with job security and good welfare benefits, the high pay has made a civil service career attractive to graduates, especially as the international financial crisis hit employment and reduced opportunities in other sectors.

But the fact that so few will be recruited shows that the civil service cannot provide jobs for the bulk of young job hunters.

The civil service needs talented people who can actively and continuously improve themselves to better serve the country's social and economic development. But how should we select suitable candidates from the millions of applicants? As well as devising fair and scientific examinations, we should also determine civil service salaries in line with the wider job market. If the pay is too low, the service will not attract the required talent; if too high, other sectors will be starved of talent and social and economic development will be hindered.

A civil service post is not for everyone. For people who like risk-taking and challenges, it can be boring and dull. Confucian traditions deeply embedded in our culture prescribe that outstanding scholars should seek official posts. But overstaffing the civil service is not the way to build a clean, efficient service-oriented government. If we are to develop as an innovation-oriented country, we need to allocate our talent using the market mechanism.

It is time to cool the overheated civil service exam and concentrate on creating attractive and diverse job opportunities for people with differing talents. This will allow people to use their talents to their best advantage and to that of the country as a whole.

This article was published at Xinhuanet.com on November 30 and translated by Ma Yujia.