An increasing number of graduates who have returned from their overseas studies are applying to take the civil servant recruitment exams in Shanghai, according to job agencies in China.

Zhaopin.com, China’s leading job recruitment site, said that there were almost no overseas returnees applying for such exams three years ago in Shanghai. However, the number of such applicants in 2015 surged to 800 and is expected to reach 1,000 this year.

Yang Yanyan, a senior consultant from zhaopin.com, said that one of the main reasons behind this trend is that returnees, especially those who graduated from famous universities with mediocre grades, are finding it more difficult to find a job. As a result, they are willing to settle for government positions, which generally offer better job security but do not pay as much as companies in the private sector.

"Most of these applicants are from middle-class families. They are not demanding very high incomes and are more concerned about the stability of the job as they don’t expect their children to rely on their salaries," said Yang.

"Furthermore, most employers today treat overseas returnees no differently from local graduates as studying abroad is no longer a big deal for Chinese families," he added.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently announced that China had 7.16 million civil servants as of the end of 2015.

Figures from the Shanghai branch of Beijing Offcn Future Education Consulting Co, a private institution that offers training for the civil servant exam, showed that there were about 100,000 people who took the exam in Shanghai last year.

Wang Wenmin, the director of the Shanghai branch of Offcn, said that graduates have in recent years been more receptive to securing a job in the civil sector, and that such positions were "a wise choice" for returnees who have "average abilities and less ambitious goals".

Zheng Wenxiu, who graduated from a US university last year, said that she was facing difficulty in finding a secure job and was recommended to take the civil servant exam by a friend.

"I’ve changed three jobs within the past year as my former employers are private-owned companies which have a high turnover of talents. I felt quite insecure in my previous jobs and decided to quit," said Zheng, who is now taking a training course to prepare for the exam later this year.

Zheng also believes that she does not have to worry about getting fired or dealing with a very stressful environment if she is hired by a government-related department.

"The only challenge now is that I have to get used to the exam-oriented system and pass the exam with high scores," added Zheng, who said that her parents support her decision.