The civil service rice bowl, about which people always said "you can't get filled up, but you won't starve to death either," is getting a new look with the economic downturn. Not only haven't there been layoffs or pay cuts, the year-end bonus and the performance review bonuses will go out as usual, drawing people to compete for their own "iron rice bowl."
以往一向被認為「吃不飽、餓不死」的公家飯，值此經濟景氣低迷之際，不但不虞裁員、減薪，年終獎金、考績獎金還都照發不誤，因而促使不少人回頭競逐這隻「鐵飯碗」。