China's national-level government agencies, their affiliated public institutions and local branches will recruit over 19,000 civil servants in 2014, a slight decrease from the previous year.

The 2014 public service exam for national-level governments will be open for applications on Wednesday, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced on Monday.

A total of 20,839 positions were open last year.

The 2014 selection will continue favoring candidates who have worked in grass-roots communities.

A civil servant role remains one of the most popular jobs in China. Officials and scholars attribute its popularity to people favoring a stable job, worship of officialdom and their welfare benefits.