In the last month, we've featured a number of stories dealing with green jobs -- one wondering why there aren't more green jobs, one highlighting a shortage of GHG management professionals, and one showing how workers are seeking green job trainings to improve their chances at landing a good job.

An article published last week in The Economist looks at a different facet of the job market: China's surging numbers of would-be civil servants. A boom in college enrollment has left jobs for educated workers scarce, so newly minted graduates are turning to the state as a source of steady work -- even if it's not highly paid work. From the article:

In July nearly 28% of this year’s graduates had failed to find work. Many who have are disappointed with their wages. A recent study by Cai Fang, an economist, found that average starting salaries for college graduates hardly changed between 2003 and 2008. They are nowadays comparable to the steadily rising wages of uneducated migrant workers.

In this environment, government jobs become even more attractive. The pay is not great, but it is offset by job security and good welfare benefits.

What's interesting about this short article is not just how steep the competition is for these jobs -- there's a 64:1 ratio of would-be applicants to available jobs -- but that the most sought-after job is "energy conservation and technology equipment officer." That position received a whopping 5,000 applicants.

_{Test photo CC-licensed by Casey Serin.}