Canada federal public service loses 23,000 employees in two years

Canada’s federal public service has decreased by more than 23,000 employees over the past two years, according to a report from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Data from a new online tool estimates the federal workforce stood at 344,970 in the second quarter of this year, representing a 6.5 per cent decline from two years ago.

Staffing changes varied significantly across departments. National Defence, the Communications Security Establishment, Elections Canada, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, and the Canadian Space Agency saw the largest increases. Conversely, the Canada Revenue Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Health Canada experienced the largest losses.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Annette Ryan stated the tool was developed to assist in monitoring the government’s Budget 2025 commitment to reduce the federal public service by 10 per cent by 2028-29. As part of these reduction efforts, the federal government implemented an early retirement program, which has seen more than 9,400 successful applications as of this month.