THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If you see a surprisingly large number of shops and establishments in the city shut or short on staff on Saturday, blame it on the charm of a cushy government job.The Lower Division Clerk (LDC) examination being conducted by the State Public Service Commission (PSC) has proved such a big draw that there literally will be more people absent in shops and establishments in the capital city than the ones on duty.Many private establishments have received record leave applications from their employees who have all the while been dreaming of a government job. One prominent establishment even put out a newspaper ad on Friday informing customers that Saturday will be a holiday since 25 of its staff were sitting for the exam.So goes the ad by the Santha Paint House at Pulimoodu: ‘’Since 25 members of our staff are on leave to attend the Lower Division Clerk exam conducted by the Kerala PSC, we will not be able to open and operate our store smoothly on Saturday. Hope you will bear with the inconvenience caused bearing mind in their aspirations for a government job.’’The ad has received such appreciation from customers that Vijayakumar, manager, Santha Paint House, is elated. ‘’We are offering a Rs 500 incentive to staff who will be working on Saturday. They should not feel left out. Even if the shop is closed, we will be having our back-end work and in-house meetings,’’ Vijayakumar said.The fact is, Saturday’s PSC exam is turning out to be a big event. The number of candidates sitting for the exam is so phenomenally high that the PSC has even centres in neighbouring districts such as Kollam. Rameshan, employed with a private establishment in the city, is planning to ride his bike all the way to Punalur on Saturday, where he is to try his luck at landing a government job.Private jobs may come with a better pay packet and perks, but the average Malayali still prefers the safety and comfort of a government job. Just consider the following statistics.For Saturday’s exam, a whopping 1,89,106 candidates have chosen Thiruvananthapuram as their exam centre. 41,527 candidates have selected Kasargod, the second of the two centres, as their exam venue, according to the office of the Controller of Examinations, Kerala PSC. The fortunate stand to land jobs in any of 94 government departments and agencies.
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