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Workforce reductions in the federal public service

Find data on workforce reductions in the core public administration (CPA) from the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER).

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Context

Returning the federal public service workforce to a more sustainable level

The government has committed to returning the federal public service population to a more sustainable level of 330,000 from close to 368,000 in 2023-2024. Reductions began in 2024-2025 with a decrease of about 9,800 employees due to the Refocusing Government Spending initiative and attrition. Implementation of CER measures will continue this downward trend over the next three years, further decreasing the size of the federal public service by an estimated 16,000 full-time equivalents. The government has also committed to reducing 1,000 executive positions, 650 of which are included in the CER reductions.

In support of this goal and to reduce the need for involuntary layoffs, Budget 2025 introduced an Early Retirement Incentive.

CER reductions in the CPA

This data was last updated on .

The government has committed to managing workforce reductions resulting from the CER through voluntary departures and attrition to the greatest extent possible.

The following table provides data on workforce reductions in the CPA, which are being implemented in phases. This data will be updated on a regular basis, as additional information becomes available.

About the data
  • Data is subject to change and may be revised over time.
  • Organizations are added once they have completed notification to their employees.
  • Departments and agencies in the CPA are named in schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act. The Treasury Board is the employer of this segment of the federal public service.
  • The total population includes active employees of all employment tenures (indeterminate, term, casual and student). It is important to note that workforce adjustment provisions apply only to indeterminate employees in the CPA while career transition provisions apply to indeterminate executives in the CPA.
  • “Number of positions to be reduced” refers to all positions to be eliminated. This could include attrition, positions already vacated and positions to be eliminated through workforce adjustment or career transition.
  • “Number of positions to be reduced through WFA/CT” refers to positions that are currently filled by an employee or executive and for which a workforce adjustment (WFA) or career transition (CT) process has begun.
  • “Affected” indicates that the services of an indeterminate employee may no longer be required. “At risk” indicates that the services of an indeterminate executive may no longer be required. In many cases, more employees or executives will be notified of affected or at-risk status than will ultimately leave the CPA.
  • The number of letters of affected or at-risk status is an estimate.
  • Numbers for organizations with total populations of more than 500 and for cases where individuals cannot be easily identified are shown; other entities will not be displayed to protect the privacy of impacted individuals.
Table 1
Core public administration organization Total population as of Number of positions to be reduced Number of positions to be reduced through WFA/CT Letters of affected or at-risk status sent
Employees Executives Employees Executives Employees Executives

Table 1 Notes

Table 1 Note 1

Numbers to be confirmed.

Return to table 1 note-referrer

Table 1 Note 2

Instances where individuals could be easily identified are suppressed for privacy reasons.

Return to table 1 note*referrer

Table 1 Note 3

Numbers were adjusted to reflect approved changes and natural attrition leading to a reduction in the number of positions to be reduced through WFA/CT.

Return to table 1 note†referrer
Phase 1 (December 1-10, 2025)
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada 1,892 Table 1 note- Table 1 note- Table 1 note- 16 173 13
Department of Finance Canada 963 79 17 38 2 82 2
Natural Resources Canada 6,044 785 22 433 12 678 10
Privy Council Office 1,208 157 22 118 8 221 18
Public Health Agency of Canada 3,372 53 0 0 0 0 0
Public Service Commission of Canada 803 40 0 38 0 42 0
Phase 2 (January 12-31, 2026)
Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada 679 26 2 26 2 39 2
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 5,690 649 16 500 7 1,036 7
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency 579 65 Table 1 note- 41 Table 1 note- 82 Table 1 note-
Canada School of Public Service 597 54 12 16 3 17 3
Canadian Heritage 1,910 165 15 112 8 344 8
Correctional Service Canada 18,902 333Table 1 note† 12Table 1 note† 252Table 1 note† 6Table 1 note† 611 9
Employment and Social Development Canada 42,520 5,313 98 931 39 3,028 47
Environment and Climate Change Canada 8,778 801 37 565 29 998 37
Fisheries and Oceans Canada 8,198 773 43 315 25 508 25
Global Affairs Canada 7,657 780 60 483 60 3,295 406
Health Canada 9,628 1,056 36 1,017 35 2,045 36
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada 1,667 0 33 0 20 0 27
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 11,148 321 15 159 15 417 21
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 6,526 901 45 569 23 1,101 32
Justice Canada 5,608 197 37 130 38 318 63
Public Safety Canada 1,789 346 31 326 31 588 61
Public Services and Procurement Canada 18,936 1,022 68 722 39 1,114 39
Shared Services Canada 9,183 448 29 448 29 1,290 49
Statistics Canada 7,582 887 13 764 Table 1 note* 3,274 Table 1 note*
Transport Canada 6,666 573 34 439 27 1,520 50
Treasury Board Secretariat 2,374 262 32 183 19 292 27
Phase 3 (, onward)
Canada Border Services Agency 17,234 363 23 330 18 686 22
Canadian Space Agency 1,015 45 Table 1 note* 0 Table 1 note- 0 0
Correctional Service Canada See above 366 3 217 3 571 3
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada See above 0 0 0 0 2 0
Fisheries and Oceans Canada See above 377 0 61 0 116 0
Global Affairs Canada See above 0 0 0 0 14 0
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada See above 154 0 81 0 188 0
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada See above 3 3 3 3 11 9
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada 586 18 6 10 0 11 0
Indigenous Services Canada 8,577 231 33 168 23 265 79
Library and Archives Canada 1,138 152 9 53 3 90 4
Public Prosecution Services of Canada 1,132 12 0 12 0 12 0
Royal Canadian Mounted Police 11,220 150 23 63 13 264 21
Transport Canada See above 0 0 0 0 0 11
Treasury Board Secretariat See above 20 3 20 3 25 5
Total 231, 801 17,977 832 9,643 559 25,368 1,146

Workforce adjustment processes for employees in the CPA

When implementing CER reductions, federal organizations in the CPA must follow prescribed workforce adjustment processes for employees which form part of collective agreements.

As of September 14, 2026, departments and agencies had identified 17,977 non-executive positions and 832 executive positions to be eliminated (see table above).

Of the 9,643 non-executive positions to be eliminated through workforce adjustment processes:

  • 4,613 employees have selected one of the options available to them under workforce adjustment processes
  • Workforce adjustment processes for the remaining positions are either still underway or have been rescinded

The following data outlines:

  • Outcomes of voluntary departure programs
  • Status of Selection of Employees for Retention or Lay Off processes
  • Selected workforce adjustment option

This information will be updated as organizations report on their progress.

Additional data

About the data
  • The following tables present data reported by organizations in the CPA regarding workforce adjustment processes conducted as part of the implementation of CER. Data will be updated on a regular basis, as additional information becomes available.
  • It is important to note that organizations are at different stages of the workforce adjustment process. As a result, the data may not match the numbers reported in the CER reductions in the CPA table.
  • This data is valid as of September 14, 2026, and is subject to change.
  • Data does not capture outcomes outside of workforce adjustment processes, such as deployments (transferring from one position to another within the CPA) and departures through the Early Retirement Incentive.
  • Departments and agencies in the CPA are named in schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act. The Treasury Board is the employer of this segment of the federal public service.
  • Workforce adjustment provisions apply only to indeterminate employees in the CPA.
Voluntary departure programs (VDPs)table 1 note *

Employees who were eligible for a VDP table 1 note **

Employees who volunteered to leave

Employees who were accepted for voluntary departure

Table 1 Notes

Table 1 Note 1

In situations where the number of volunteers is larger than the number of positions that need to be eliminated, volunteers are selected for VDP based on seniority.

Return to table 1 note * referrer

Table 1 Note 2

This number includes both ongoing and concluded VDPs.

Return to table 1 note ** referrer

19,186

2,758

2,548
Selection of Employees for Retention or Lay Off (SERLO) processes

Employees who participated in a SERLO process table 2 note *

Employees who were retained

Employees who were not retained

Employees who are still in a SERLO process

Table 2 Notes

Table 2 Note 1

This number includes both ongoing and concluded SERLO processes.

Return to table 2 note * referrer

2,882

1,052

486

1,344
Workforce adjustment option selectedtable 3 note *

Option A: 12-month surplus priority entitlement

Option B: transition support measure (TSM)

Option C(i): TSM and education allowance

Option C(ii): TSM, education allowance and up to two years of leave without pay

Table 3 Notes

Table 3 Note 1

Includes employees who have been accepted for VDP and who have not been retained through the SERLO process.

Return to table 3 note * referrer

494

2,879

829

411

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2026-09-23