Seoul, South Korea – Despite the South Korean government's efforts to boost the appeal of civil service jobs by increasing the starting salary for Grade 9 civil servants to 2 million won (pre-tax) this year, the popularity of these positions continues to wane. The number of applicants for the Grade 9 national civil service exam has been declining sharply.

According to the Human Resources Management Service, the number of positions available for the 2025 national civil service examination has been reduced to 5,272, a decrease of 479 from the previous year. Over the past five years, the overall number of positions available for the national civil service examination has been steadily decreasing, especially since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office in 2023.

The decline in popularity is particularly evident among Grade 9 civil service positions. The number of positions available for Grade 9 civil servants in 2025 has been reduced by 419 compared to the previous year. A closer look at the data reveals that the number of applicants for Grade 9 positions has decreased significantly over the past three years. While the competition rate remained relatively stable between 2023 and 2024, the actual number of applicants dropped by over 17,000. Compared to 2021, when the number of applicants peaked, there has been a decrease of over 90,000.

To address the declining interest in civil service jobs, the government has implemented various measures, including increasing salaries for junior civil servants and raising the starting salary for Grade 9 positions by 6.6% this year. However, these efforts have failed to reverse the trend.

Experts attribute the decline in popularity to various factors, including a more competitive job market, changes in societal values, and a perception that civil service jobs offer limited growth opportunities.

The declining popularity of civil service jobs has also had a significant impact on the private education sector. Megastudy, a major South Korean education company, recently announced its decision to exit the civil service exam preparation market due to declining demand.