A senior official has denied claims that there has been a surge in the number of civil servants resigning amid the continuing government frugality campaign.

Li Zhong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, was responding to reports that thousands of civil servants are turning to job-hunting websites to seek new career opportunities.

Li told a news conference that the reports are unfounded, though he admitted that a number of civil servants in some departments are seeking new job opportunities.

"This is just the normal flow of talent in the job market. We need to keep in mind that while a certain number of civil servants are leaving the public sector, a lot of new talent joins the ranks of civil servants each year," he said.

A report issued by recruitment website Zhaopin on March 29 shows that more than 10,000 public sector employees, including civil servants and staff members at public institutions, have submitted their resumes to potential employers through the site since February.

The number was 34 percent higher than in the same period last year. Real estate, finance and e-commerce are the sectors that civil servants find most attractive.

Public sector employees who have resigned form the largest group in the list of job seekers using Zhaopin. Reasons for resigning included disappointment with pay and conditions, and a lack of opportunities for career development, the report said.

Li, the ministry spokesman, said the fact that a certain number of officials are resigning is in line with the normal behavior of the jobs market, and this will create a flow of talent among public servants.

"The authority will continue to pay close attention to the situation," he said.

There have been other signs that the public sector is losing some of its appeal. The number of applicants for the national civil service examination dropped to 1.29 million people last year, down more than 70,000 year-on-year.

Xin'an Evening News published a report last year about officials in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, resigning from their posts.

In one case that attracted attention, Chen Xitong, a spokesman for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, resigned in May of last year to become vice-president of Internet security giant Qihoo 360.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/25/2015 page3)