Pros and cons of civil servants quitting posts

Applicants go through last-minute preparations before the civil servant recruitment exam in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Nov 30, 2014. [Photo/IC]

A recent employoment report released by Zhilian Recruiting, a leading recruitment website in China, indicates that a growing number of public servants are looking for jobs in the private sector. The South China Morning Post said on Monday that many civil servants from the Chinese mainland are looking for positions in the private sector because the ongoing anti-corruption campaign has eroded their extra benefits. Comments:

What drives public servants to look for new jobs is either their desire for promotion or their loss of extra gains. It is understandable that some people want a more challenging job which makes the most of their talents, yet those who leave their posts simply because they no longer enjoy the extra benefits as officials should have been dismissed long ago. The emerging trend of civil servants quitting, therefore, can be seen to have a positive side.

Zhang Weibin, a guest commentator with cnhubei.com, April 8

The stricter regulations on government employees should not be seen as a major boost for the recent rise in the number of public servants quitting their jobs, many of whom will have to pay a high price for doing so. How to give full play to those with special talents and raise their salaries is an issue that is yet to be resolved. A lot has to be done to improve the current performance assessment system.

Zhuang Deshui, a researcher with Research Center of Government Administration at Peking University, April 7

On the one hand, we have to stay vigilant to the latent yet illicit exchanges of interests that public servants may indulge in after they leave their official positions, and draw a line to prevent them using their previous resources. On the other, enterprises should also be allowed to choose talents, including former government employees, under public supervision.

Gao Bo, deputy secretary of the China Anti-Corruption Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, March 31