Civil servant jobs, while popular in China, are now facing new limitations in the area of resignation, as some worry that former government workers are leaving their posts with important and lucrative information.

A national guideline issued on May 26 stated that officials at the county level or higher cannot work in enterprises or institutes in the administrative region of their former posting in the first three years after resignation. They are also barred from for-profit activities related to their jobs in government.

Those working at a lower level face the same restrictions, but are only subject to these limitations for two years.

“From what we know from previous corruption cases, we can see that some civil servants continued working in related areas after quitting their government jobs. They could then continue to wield their power for profit. This is corruption in another form and it affects fair competition in the market,” Wang Yukai, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, told China News Service (CNS).

Departing civil servants are also required to submit a statement regarding their future jobs and promise to submit follow-up statements for the duration of their restriction periods. They additionally must brief the original government body on their future professional plans in a pre-departure meeting.

Authorities will supervise those who leave their government jobs and punish those who violate the guideline, together with their new employers. According to CNS, previous regulations on civil servants put similar restrictions on their resignation, but the latest guideline is the strictest and most detailed one yet.

The number of civil servants in China rose between 2008 and 2013, but it saw a slight decrease in 2014 and 2015. By 2015, China had a total of 7.16 million civil servants, with an annual resignation rate of 0.2 percent.

Zhu Lijia, another professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, pointed out that civil servant used to be perceived as the most stable job in China, but more job opportunities are now opening up as society continues to develop. Job changes for government officials should also be supported as long as officials do not violate the stated rules.