# 25,000 civil service jobs to go within nine years

> The cuts, out of 160,000 state civil servants, would save €3.5bn a year, according to the plan State Secretary Eric van der Burg announced.

Politics · published 2026-10-28 12:13 · https://nlnow.nl/a/cabinet-plans-25-000-civil-service-job-cuts-within-nine-years/

State Secretary Eric van der Burg, who is responsible for efficient government (Slagvaardige Overheid), has announced that 25,000 of the 160,000 state civil servants must go within nine years. The cut would save €3.5bn a year.

The police and defence are exempt from the cuts. Implementing bodies such as the UWV, the IND and the Belastingdienst are not exempt in advance.

The savings are part of the budget, which the minority cabinet of Prime Minister Jetten is discussing again this week with the opposition. The talks focus mainly on the tax plan. ChristenUnie leader Mirjam Bikker visits Jetten and finance minister Heinen today.

## Background

- **UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen)**: The Employee Insurance Agency, which pays unemployment and disability benefits and helps people back into work.
- **IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst)**: The Immigration and Naturalisation Service, which decides on asylum applications, residence permits and Dutch citizenship.
- **Belastingdienst**: The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration is the government agency responsible for collecting taxes and levies in the Netherlands, including income tax, VAT and customs duties. It handles tax returns and assessments for individuals and businesses, and it also controls the goods that cross the national border. As an implementing body, it carries out policy that the government sets, so its staffing levels matter for how well tax and customs work is done.

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