The number of people from the University of Tokyo who passed the fiscal 2020 career-track civil service examination has dropped to 249, the lowest since fiscal 1998, when the data first became available, the National Personnel Authority said Friday.

Although the prestigious national university had the largest number of successful applicants by school, the figure was down by 58 from the previous year.

The government agency said the record drop came as students opted to work for private-sector businesses, where hiring interest remains strong, rather than the government.

The announcement was made two months later than initially planned because the examination’s first-stage test was postponed by the coronavirus.