HONG KONG - Hundreds of thousands of hopeful Chinese job-seekers have begun applying for a position with the country's civil service as part of its annual recruitment drive, with the most popular job vacancy drawing a whopping 2,320 applications.

China's annual civil service recruitment drive began on Oct 15, with more than 27,000 vacancies on offer in over 120 central departments and agencies, the China News Service reported on Monday (Oct 17).

By Thursday (Oct 20), more than half a million people had applied to take the entrance exam, The South China Morning Post reported on Friday, (Oct 21) citing a China News Service report. The report said there were 530,000 interested applicants for the exams, higher than the number recorded in the same period last year.

The exam is expected to draw about 1.4 million applicants this year.

The most popular job vacancy is for a position with the general office of the China Democratic League's central committee, a registered political party which advises the government.

The sought-after position involves preparing for conferences, events and receptions.

Hundreds of thousands are drawn to a career with the civil service, seen as a 'golden rice bowl', due to its job security and benefits. Its entrance exams are known for being one of the hardest tests to sit for in China.

In 2013, a record 10,000 people fought for one position in the civil service.

This year's recruitment drive will end on Monday (Oct 24), with the written test scheduled for the end of November.