By Admin 
China has made a major change in its civil service structure after three decades. The government has increased the maximum appointment age for some posts from 35 years to 38 years. This decision not only brings relief to the aging candidates in the bureaucracy, but it also reflects the serious challenge related to China’s population and labor market. This step has come at a time when China’s work force is continuously shrinking and the aging population has become a new threat to the country’s economy.
The government issued this amendment on Tuesday (14 October 2025) before the start of applications for the 2026 National Civil Service Examination in China. Now the minimum age of the candidates applying has been kept at 18 years and maximum age at 38 years. This limit has been further increased for master degree and doctoral degree holders. The maximum age for them has been increased from 40 to 43 years. Chinese newspaper Global Times has described this change as a step towards progressive reform in the country’s retirement policy. According to the government statement, 38,100 new civil servants will be recruited through the examination to be held on November 30 this year.
Why was the age limit increased?
According to the Reuters report, the biggest reason behind this policy of China is the aging population and decreasing work force. China’s population growth rate has fallen historically in the last few years. Due to the one-child policy that has been in place for three decades, the youth population in the country has decreased, while the number of elderly people is increasing rapidly. According to statistics, the number of people aged 60 years and above in China is estimated to be 40% of the total population by 2035, i.e. more than 40 crores. This figure is equal to the combined population of Britain and America. This rapidly increasing elderly population has forced the government to think about how to maintain the economic productivity of the country. Increasing the age limit is part of this strategy to keep older candidates in the workforce longer.
Change in retirement age also
This change is not limited to civil service recruitment only. This year, China has also started gradually making changes in the retirement age. The retirement age for male employees has been increased from 60 years to 63 years. At the same time, the age of women employees, especially white collar employees, has been increased from 55 to 58 years.
China’s population challenge
China was the world’s most populous country for a long time, but now the situation is changing. India overtook China to become the most populous country in 2023. With this a new challenge arose before China. The youth population is decreasing, but the number of elderly people is continuously increasing. This situation is considered dangerous for China at both economic and social levels. On one hand, industrial production may be affected due to shortage of manpower, while on the other hand, government burden on pension and health is increasing.
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