China has increased the maximum hiring age for civil service jobs from 35 to 43 for the first time in 30 years, aiming to combat widespread age discrimination against older workers who face the "curse of 35."
The change was announced by authorities this week, just before applications opened for the national civil service exam on Wednesday.
General candidates must be aged 18-38, while those with master's or doctoral degrees can now apply up to age 43, up from 40.
“China has appropriately adjusted the age requirements for applicants taking the 2026 national civil service examination, in line with the country’s progressive approach to delaying the legal retirement age,” as reported by the state-run publication, Global Times on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
For years, many Chinese workers over 35 have struggled to find stable jobs, particularly in the private sector, due to age discrimination known as the "curse of 35" online.
China's aging population is a key worry, stemming from decades of the one-child policy that drastically lowered birth rates.
By 2035, those aged 60 and older are projected to comprise about 40% of the population—over 400 million people.
This shift creates hurdles for economic growth, labor productivity, and social welfare, prompting the government to seek ways to keep experienced workers active in the economy.
Getting older as a society has now become a global phenomenon, but it’s hitting China extra hard due to its one-child policy that ran for three decades and has piled up huge demographic headaches.
