Dutch government plans to cut 25,000 central civil service jobs using AI

Mixed · 2The Dutch government announced on 26 October 2026 that it aims to cut about 25,000 central government jobs, spread over several years, in an efficiency drive built around artificial intelligence. 1 2 Mixed · 2The central government wants to save €900 million a year by 2027, rising to €3.5 billion a year from 2035, according to a government statement. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Cabinet is to present its plans for deploying AI in early 2027; Gulf News puts this in the first quarter of 2027. 1 2

Mixed · 2State Secretary for Effective Government Eric van den Burg (spelled "van der Burg" by Gulf News) said: "We cannot keep doing what we have been doing," and promised "tough choices for a central government that really works: simpler, smarter, and smaller." 1 2 Mixed · 2The number of central government employees reached a record 160,000 at the end of 2025, up 41% from 2018, despite earlier pledges to shrink the civil service. 1 2 Mixed · 2Police and defence are exempt. According to a letter van den Burg sent to Parliament, ministries, inspectorates and implementing agencies will be hit hardest, with possible staffing reductions of 45% or even 60%. 1 2

Mixed · 2The cuts are tied to a programme to scrap 500 unnecessary or overly bureaucratic rules a year, which van den Burg said should reduce the need for staff. Gulf News adds plans to standardise IT systems, cut advisory bodies and use office space more efficiently. 1 2 Right · 1Van den Burg cited non-binding parliamentary motions urging a 20% productivity gain through AI, and said the government will work as far as possible with Dutch and European suppliers to avoid dependence on non-European technology. 1 Right · 1The Straits Times reports that the Netherlands' budget deficit is already one of the smallest in the EU, yet the figure and its long-term outlook still raise concerns in a country known for fiscal conservatism. 1

Mixed · 2In a follow-up analysis, the Straits Times, using Bloomberg calculations, says the cut equals roughly 15% of Dutch civil servants and would mean about 150,000 jobs in the US, 75,000 in the UK and just over 50,000 in France, though cross-country comparisons are hard. Gulf News gives the share as about 16%. 3 2 Right · 1That analysis calls the plan perhaps the most ambitious government attempt yet to use technology to cut payroll, and says it could prove tricky. It notes that governments' AI use "trails the private sector" (OECD, September 2025), that AI can generate extra work such as a surge of complaints, and that civil servants are often highly unionised. 3 Right · 1ING chief economist Marieke Blom said the open question is whether the government can meet its targets, noting that earlier headcount cuts were followed by renewed hiring. 3

Centre · 1Gulf News says the government has yet to specify how the reductions will be spread across departments, with details expected in its upcoming budget plans. 2