Netherlands plans to cut 25,000 government jobs by 2035 using AI

The Dutch government plans to phase out 25,000 central government jobs by 2035, using artificial intelligence to help manage the workload, according to a report by TechRadar. The plan aims to save €3.5 billion ($3.9 billion) overall, equivalent to about 16% of the government’s workforce.

State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Effective Government Eric van der Burg said the cuts are expected to save €900 million ($1 billion) by 2027. The government also wants to raise productivity by 20% with AI and plans to scrap or simplify at least 500 rules each year.

Other cost-cutting measures include having pairs of employees share a desk, selling surplus buildings and standardizing IT systems. Police and defense jobs are excluded from the cuts, while permanent advisory councils and committees are not. Their current numbers are 28 and 150, respectively; the government plans to issue new targets for advisory bodies later this year.

TechRadar attributes to Bloomberg the report that the central government workforce reached a record 160,000 officials by the end of 2025, up 41% since 2018. Van der Burg said voluntary motions to use AI to raise productivity had been passed and described them as a catalyst for the job and spending cuts.