# The Netherlands plans to cut 25,000 civil service jobs and lean on AI

URL: https://ai-pulse.aglaganova.com/blog/the-netherlands-plans-to-cut-25-000-civil-service-jobs-and-lean-on-ai
Published: 2026-10-30
Author: Roman Aglaganov, Full-stack developer
Category: Policy
Region: Europe
Tags: work, regulation

> The Dutch government wants to save €3.5 billion a year by 2035 by shrinking central government by about 25,000 posts, scrapping rules and using AI more widely. Its plan for the AI part will not arrive until 2027.

![Illustration: rows of small black desk shapes in a grid, with a widening band of empty grey outlines sweeping through them and one red desk at the edge of the band](https://ai-pulse.aglaganova.com/api/media/file/dutch-cuts-1.png)

The Dutch government said on 26 October that it plans to cut about 25,000 full-time jobs from central government over the coming years, roughly 15% of the workforce. Artificial intelligence is one of the main ways it hopes to keep the work done with fewer people.

## The numbers

The government wants to save €900 million in 2027, rising to €3.5 billion a year from 2035. Police and defence are exempt. Ministries, inspectorates and agencies will be hit hardest, and some departments could face cuts of 45% or even 60%, according to a letter to parliament reported by Bloomberg. Central government employed a record 160,000 officials at the end of 2025, 41% more than in 2018, despite earlier promises to shrink it.

“We cannot keep doing what we did,” said Eric van der Burg, the state secretary in charge. “That is why we are going to make sharp choices for a central government that really works: simpler, smarter and smaller.”

## Where AI fits

AI is only part of the plan. The government also wants to scrap or simplify at least 500 rules a year, cut many of its advisory councils and committees, sell surplus buildings and give staff one desk for every two people. Parliament has passed several non-binding motions calling for AI to raise government productivity by 20%, and van der Burg cited them as a reason for the cuts. He also said the government wants to work as much as possible with Dutch and European technology suppliers, to avoid depending on companies elsewhere.

What the plan does not yet say is which jobs AI will take over. The government will present concrete AI targets and savings plans in the first quarter of 2027, and details of where the cuts will fall are due with the spring budget. A government advisory commission has warned that AI will only help if rules and checks are cut back at the same time, Trending Topics reports, citing DutchNews.

## Politics

The plan comes from the centrist government of Prime Minister Rob Jetten, which governs as a minority and needs opposition votes to pass its measures. Van der Burg belongs to the centre-right VVD, one of the three coalition parties. The Netherlands is not alone: Microsoft recently offered buyouts to about 60,000 staff as it spends more on AI.

## Sources

- [The Star (Bloomberg): Dutch government plans to cut 25,000 jobs in AI-led overhaul](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/27/dutch-government-plans-to-cut-25000-jobs-in-ai-led-overhaul)
- [TechRadar: Netherlands to replace 25,000 government jobs with AI in efficiency drive to save €3.5 billion](https://techradar.com/pro/netherlands-to-replace-25-000-government-jobs-with-ai-in-efficiency-drive-to-save-eur3-5-billion)
- [Trending Topics: The Netherlands plans to cut 25,000 civil service jobs](https://www.trendingtopics.eu/netherlands-25000-civil-service-jobs-ai/)