The European Union's personnel office (EPSO) expected 60,000 people to apply when it opened up the EU's recruitment list for the first time in years. Instead, it received 174,922 applications for the 1,490 places on the list.
"The number has exceeded all expectations," the EPSO website states.
In terms of nationality, interest is greatest in Italy, with almost 80,000 applications, followed by 13,000 from Spain, reports the news site Euractiv.
1,806 applications have been received from Sweden, compared to 992 from Denmark and 2,702 from Finland.
After various tests, 750 of the applicants are expected to ultimately receive permanent employment.
