Dutch govt plans to cut 25,000 jobs in AI-led overhaul

The govt wants to save €900 mn a year by 2027, rising to €3.5 billion from 2035. The cabinet will also present plans for deploying AI to work more productively early next year.

The Dutch Parliament building beside the Hofvijver pond in The Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday, March 18, 2021. Caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte’s center-right party, the VVD, won 36 seats in the 150-strong parliament, with the pro-European group D66 in second place with 24 seats, according to a projection early Thursday by Dutch news agency ANP with 63% of votes counted.

The Dutch government aims to cut 25,000 civil servant jobs in an AI-led efficiency drive targeting annual savings of €3.5 billion ($3.9 billion).

The central government wants to save €900 million a year by 2027, rising to €3.5 billion from 2035. That amounts to around 25,000 jobs, spread over several years, according to a government statement on Monday. The cabinet will present plans for deploying artificial intelligence to work more productively early next year.

“We cannot keep doing what we have been doing,” State Secretary for Effective Government Eric van den Burg said. “That is why we are going to make tough choices for a central government that really works: simpler, smarter, and smaller.”

The number of government officials surged to a record 160,000 at the end of 2025, up 41% compared to 2018, despite pledges by previous cabinets to scale back headcount.

The Dutch government budget deficit of 1.8% is one of the smallest in the European Union. Yet the figure and its long-term outlook still raise concerns in the Netherlands, which has a reputation for being fiscally conservative.

Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.