90 percent of candidates pass first civil service exam
Some 32,572 civil service applicants are eligible to sit a second exam to compete for 16,500 government jobs after passing their first exam on September 14.
Exam takers scan civil service test results on Wednesday.
The second exam, which will be on academic knowledge, is expected to be held in December and June each year.
The results of the 100-question exam on general knowledge were unveiled on Wednesday.
A total of 38,410 people across the country applied to take the first exam, with 37,452 applicants actually sitting it. Almost 90 percent of them were successful after achieving a 50 percent pass mark.
The three-hour exam took place at various centres across the country, Minister of Home Affairs Mr Khampane Philavong told reporters at a media conference, according to the Paxaxon newspaper.
The second exam will be organised by the individual government bodies seeking to recruit new personnel.
The exams are taking place under a new government regulation on the recruitment of employees which comes into effect at the start of next fiscal year on October 1.
The first exam is to be held annually and carried out by the Ministry of Home Affairs and its provincial-level departments.
In an announcement on the new regulation, the ministry said it aimed to ensure civil servants were recruited through a transparent and fair process based on genuine qualifications, and job openings must be made public.
In the past, each government body was responsible for recruiting its own employees, but members of the public alleged the process was not conducted in a fair and open manner.
Some complaints received alleged job opportunities were not advertised and that applicants with a personal connection to officials had a significant advantage, notably in high-profile jobs.
Of the 32,572 successful applicants, 27,255 held high-level diploma or higher academic qualifications, while the remaining 5,317 held intermediate or low-level certificates.
Director General of the ministry's Department of Civil Servant Management, Mr Vixay Phandanouvong, said applicants who passed the first exam would be awarded a certificate allowing them to sit the second exam up to four times over the following two years.
He said if applicants had not passed by that stage, they would have to re-sit the first exam.
Officials said they hoped the new recruitment process would result in better-quality employees.
However, critics remained cautious, suggesting it would not be easy to fully realise the new regulation's aim of selecting qualified employees in a fair and open manner as it would require disciplined officials to carry out the process.
90 percent of candidates pass first civil service exam
Some 32,572 civil service applicants are eligible to sit a second exam to compete for 16,500 government jobs after passing their first exam on September 14.
Exam takers scan civil service test results on Wednesday.
The second exam, which will be on academic knowledge, is expected to be held in December and June each year.
The results of the 100-question exam on general knowledge were unveiled on Wednesday.
A total of 38,410 people across the country applied to take the first exam, with 37,452 applicants actually sitting it. Almost 90 percent of them were successful after achieving a 50 percent pass mark.
The three-hour exam took place at various centres across the country, Minister of Home Affairs Mr Khampane Philavong told reporters at a media conference, according to the Paxaxon newspaper.
The second exam will be organised by the individual government bodies seeking to recruit new personnel.
The exams are taking place under a new government regulation on the recruitment of employees which comes into effect at the start of next fiscal year on October 1.
The first exam is to be held annually and carried out by the Ministry of Home Affairs and its provincial-level departments.
In an announcement on the new regulation, the ministry said it aimed to ensure civil servants were recruited through a transparent and fair process based on genuine qualifications, and job openings must be made public.
In the past, each government body was responsible for recruiting its own employees, but members of the public alleged the process was not conducted in a fair and open manner.
Some complaints received alleged job opportunities were not advertised and that applicants with a personal connection to officials had a significant advantage, notably in high-profile jobs.
Of the 32,572 successful applicants, 27,255 held high-level diploma or higher academic qualifications, while the remaining 5,317 held intermediate or low-level certificates.
Director General of the ministry's Department of Civil Servant Management, Mr Vixay Phandanouvong, said applicants who passed the first exam would be awarded a certificate allowing them to sit the second exam up to four times over the following two years.
He said if applicants had not passed by that stage, they would have to re-sit the first exam.
Officials said they hoped the new recruitment process would result in better-quality employees.
However, critics remained cautious, suggesting it would not be easy to fully realise the new regulation's aim of selecting qualified employees in a fair and open manner as it would require disciplined officials to carry out the process.
Why they want so much government jobs? There are now more and more foreign companies investing in Laos and some of these companies pay pretty good salaries.
