Major civil service cuts target education, economy and interior ministries

Calculations based on the latest budget documents indicate that the ministries of Education, Culture and Science, Economic Affairs and Climate, and Interior and Kingdom Relations are set to lose the largest share of civil-service positions under the Jetten cabinet's austerity drive. The overall goal is to reduce the civil-service payroll, which has grown to around 160,000 full-time equivalents, by applying a uniform percentage cut across most ministries while leaving defence, police, the judiciary and several other sectors untouched.

The General Court of Auditors warned that efficiency gains alone will not meet the target, and the Central Planning Bureau estimates that improved efficiency could save only a fraction of the required amount. State Secretary Eric van der Burg (VVD) is scheduled to unveil the final reduction plan to the Tweede Kamer before the end of the month, following earlier coalition agreements that linked cuts to overall spending levels.