For years, 35 was typically the cutoff age for anyone seeking to be a civil servant in China. Now that’s changing, as the country works to curb age discrimination amid extended university programs and postponed retirement. 

China’s central government has raised the upper age limit for national civil service applicants to 38, according to an announcement Tuesday. The new guidelines come into effect ahead of this year’s national civil service exam, scheduled for November, with exam registration beginning Oct. 15.

Varying age limits apply to different posts and applicant groups, such as recent and past graduates, or those holding bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The age limit for national civil service applicants graduating with master’s and doctoral degrees by 2026 will be extended to 43.

In August, the Shanghai municipal government similarly raised the age of applicants for citywide law enforcement positions to 38. The following month, Meishan and Suining, cities in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, also raised the age limit to 38 for civil service applicants with bachelor’s degrees, and from 40 to 43 for those with master’s degrees.

Other provinces, including Jiangsu, Shandong, and Guizhou, have also rolled out similar policies in the past few months.

Age discrimination remains widespread in China’s job market, illustrated by the commonly referenced “curse of 35” — “35 sui mozhou” in Chinese — the perception that employees over 35 are less energetic, more expensive, and less willing to work long hours. This has led to stalled promotions, layoffs, and shrinking job opportunities for older applicants.

In February, a job ad for community sanitation workers in the southern city of Guangzhou sparked outrage after it set a strict age limit of 35 for applicants, triggering public calls to end age bias.

China has been working to address discrimination in the workplace in recent years amid various employment pressures, including population decline and high youth unemployment. In September of last year, the State Council issued a guideline explicitly calling for the elimination of employment discrimination based on region, status, gender, and age, among other factors.

Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Beijing, told Sixth Tone that extending the age limit for entry into the civil service is part of broader reforms to China’s hiring market. However, he noted that the program is being rolled out gradually and does not yet apply to all positions or applicants.

There has long been uneven interest between popular and entry-level positions, Xiong said, adding that relaxing age limits should help fill lower-demand, entry-level roles and create more employment opportunities for older workers.

And while civil service hiring reforms signal a shift toward valuing ability over age, potentially influencing private-sector recruitment, the expanded eligibility is expected to further intensify competition for civil service positions, educational experts told local media.

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: VCG）