Only around seven out of ten civil service job applicants have actually taken the annual open competitive examination for grade five public officials and foreign service officers this year.

According to the personnel management ministry on Saturday, out of 12-thousand-14 applicants, eight-thousand-475, or 70-point-five percent, attended the first stage of the exam, which is a written test. The second and third stages include essays and interviews.

The percentage of applicants actually taking the exams, which stood at 75-point-nine percent in 2022, has been on a gradual decline for three consecutive years.