Andrej Babiš proposes 10% cut to Czech state administration jobs

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has proposed a plan to reduce the number of jobs in state administration and subordinate administrative offices by 10 percent by January 1. The proposal was presented by Tünde Bartha, Head of the Government Office, directly during a cabinet meeting, as it had not been included in the original meeting agenda.

The proposal met with resistance from several ministers. Critics pointed to the lack of prior notice and insufficient time to evaluate the impact of the cuts. While Finance Minister Alena Schillerová expressed support for the idea in principle, she noted that the specific scope of the cuts needs further definition.

Other ministers raised concerns regarding the practical implementation. Minister of the Environment Igor Červený noted that his department had already implemented job reductions, and Minister of Industry Karel Havlíček suggested that further cuts should target organizations under ministries rather than central offices. Due to these disagreements and uncertainties regarding which institutions would be affected, the government suspended deliberations on the resolution.