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Federal public service has lost 23,000 staffers in two years: budget watchdog report

The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that the federal public service shed more than 23,000 staffers over the last two years, reducing the workforce to 344,970 employees, a 6.5 per cent decline.
Parliamentary Budget Officer Annette Ryan stated the tool tracks the government's Budget 2025 commitment to reduce the federal public service by 10 per cent by 2028-29, an initiative supported by an early retirement program launched to cut staff numbers.
The government received 10,006 early retirement applications, with more than 9,400 meeting the criteria this month; of those lost, 9,809 were term employees, while about 7,880 were permanent staff, 3,203 students, and 2,889 casual employees.
Departments including the Canada Revenue Agency and Health Canada saw the most departures, while National Defence and the Canadian Space Agency gained staff; Martin Potvin, a Treasury Board spokesperson, confirmed no second application window is planned.
Ryan noted that "Parliamentarians need reliable and readily available information" to question ministers about public services to Canadians, stating the tool provides "objective, timely data that they can use to support their work.

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