Federal public service shrinks by over 12,000 workers in 2026

Federal public service shrinks by over 12,000 workers in 2026

The National Capital Region saw a decrease of about 8,000 federal public servants

Canada’s federal public service continues to shrink, with over 12,000 positions cut in the past fiscal year as the government looks to make the bureaucracy more sustainable.

According to recently updated numbers from the Treasury Board Secretariat, which oversees the federal public service, the workforce dwindled to about 345,000 employees across Canada as of late March.

As part of the 2025 budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government announced the workforce had grown at a faster rate than Canada's population, pledging to cut it by 4.5 per cent or 16,000 jobs within three years.

Carney budget to slash public service by 16,000 over 3 years

The size of the public service peaked in 2024 at just under 368,000 employees, before dropping by about 10,000 in 2025, and by well over 12,000 in 2026.

Similar to previous years, the Ottawa-Gatineau region was home to the largest number of federal employees in 2025, with 154,000.

But by this year, that number had shrunk to about 146,000 — a decrease of around five per cent.

The recent cuts are part of the federal government’s broad plan to condense the public service to around 330,000 employees by the end of the 2029 fiscal year.

The strategy was announced in 2025 and includes previously implemented cuts from 2024.

According to the government, the target reflects typical turnover rates, retirements and voluntary departures from the public service.

Justin Ball is a reporter at CBC Ottawa. He has also worked at The Toronto Star and is currently completing a journalism degree at Carleton University.