The Dutch government estimates central-government staffing could fall by about 25,000 full-time equivalents under a multiyear savings plan, putting public payrolls at the center of a broader efficiency drive.
An Oct. 26 letter to Parliament puts year-end 2025 staffing at 160,016 FTEs, spanning implementing agencies, ministries and inspectorates. The 25,000 estimate amounts to about 15.6% of that base, calculated from government figures; the eventual headcount effect also depends partly on the pay bands of affected posts. The government has not assigned a specific number of job reductions to AI; AI-use goals and savings proposals are due in the first quarter of 2027.
The savings target climbs from €901 million in 2027 to €3.49 billion in 2035. In the wider reorganization, the cabinet plans to standardize ICT systems, pool purchasing, simplify rules, shrink office space and reduce advisory bodies. Police and Defense are excluded from the planned reductions. Staffing had already increased by about 46,500 FTEs, or 41%, between 2018 and the end of 2025.
A general efficiency gain capped at 0.5% a year would provide about one-third of the required savings, the government’s review says. The rest requires choices about changing or ending public functions. Earlier digitization and automation projects did not produce expected staffing and cost reductions, the review says, as new responsibilities, added capacity needs and contractor use absorbed some gains.
The staff impact varies by organization. The letter describes one case that could reach 60%, others near 45% and cuts of roughly 20% at many organizations; expiring temporary budgets partly explain the larger reductions. It warns that staffing changes may affect service continuity and says faster departures must preserve adequate staffing and comply with collective labor agreements.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reviewed 200 government AI use cases across 11 areas in 2025. It found slower adoption in civil-service management and policy evaluation, citing skills shortages, difficulty accessing data, costs and older IT systems as barriers.
OECD figures for 2024 show average union membership of 41.3% among public-sector workers and 10.1% among private-sector workers across 28 countries. Those figures do not establish a Netherlands-specific rate.
Eric van der Burg, State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations, said in an English translation, “We cannot keep doing what we did.” The government plans to present a broader multiyear civil-service plan within six months. A parliamentary committee is scheduled to debate effective government and regulatory burdens on Dec. 1.
