In order to get a job in the public sector in Spain, it is necessary to pass an examination.

These 9,700 candidates (above) in the town of Silleda, Galicia, in north-western Spain, are just a fraction of the 166,000 people who sat the entrance examination in several Spanish cities on Sunday to compete for just 4,500 jobs in the state-run Correos postal service.

Tendered by Correos, the 4,500 jobs form the biggest selection for the postal service held in the country over the last decade.

With a ratio of 41 people to each job available, the chances of succeeding were low.

However, having reduced the workforce by 15,000 over the past several years, and with 30 per cent of its staff on temporary contracts, Correos is now attempting to fill the gap.