[Netherlands] Plans to cut 25,000 civil servants from payroll with AI and standardised IT systems

In the Netherlands, the deputy home affairs minister announced plans to reduce the number of civil servants on the government payroll by 16 per cent by 2035 as part of a wide-ranging efficiency drive, Dutch News reports.

Eric van der Burg - the State Secretary for Decisive Government - stated that 25,000 roles will be cut by standardising IT systems and using other tools to make government more efficient, including AI.

In addition, according to a letter he wrote to parliament, the minister plans to reduce the number of advisory bodies and committees, currently 28 and 150 respectively.

This is reportedly the first time Mr Van der Burg has given a number for the forthcoming civil service cuts, which the cabinet hopes will save €3.5 billion a year by 2035. 

The announcement confirms previous Telegraaf reporting stating that the cabinet intends to streamline the apparatus of government via AI technologies.

The minister has yet to confirm which departments will be hardest hit. However, the police and defence budgets are expected to be excluded.

Government agencies that are currently under strain, including the tax office and the employment benefits agency (UWV), are unlikely to escape job losses.

Mr Van der Burg reportedly said that some of the savings could be made by having fewer regulations and “exceptions to exceptions”. The cabinet has committed to scrapping 500 rules a year under the coalition agreement drawn up by the D66, VVD and CDA parties.

He did acknowledge that not all the reductions could be compensated by more efficient methods. “Some choices will have to be made regarding what the government should be doing less or not at all,” Mr Van der Burg said.

He added that the government wanted to tighten the rules around the Freedom of Information law Woo, which citizens and journalists rely on to access public information.

“The requests for information are frequently so broad that it is no longer clear what information we are supposed to provide,” the minister wrote.

Source: Dutch News

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

In the Netherlands, the deputy home affairs minister announced plans to reduce the number of civil servants on the government payroll by 16 per cent by 2035 as part of a wide-ranging efficiency drive, Dutch News reports.

Eric van der Burg - the State Secretary for Decisive Government - stated that 25,000 roles will be cut by standardising IT systems and using other tools to make government more efficient, including AI.

In addition, according to a letter he wrote to parliament, the minister plans to reduce the number of advisory bodies and committees, currently 28 and 150 respectively.

This is reportedly the first time Mr Van der Burg has given a number for the forthcoming civil service cuts, which the cabinet hopes will save €3.5 billion a year by 2035. 

The announcement confirms previous Telegraaf reporting stating that the cabinet intends to streamline the apparatus of government via AI technologies.

The minister has yet to confirm which departments will be hardest hit. However, the police and defence budgets are expected to be excluded.

Government agencies that are currently under strain, including the tax office and the employment benefits agency (UWV), are unlikely to escape job losses.

Mr Van der Burg reportedly said that some of the savings could be made by having fewer regulations and “exceptions to exceptions”. The cabinet has committed to scrapping 500 rules a year under the coalition agreement drawn up by the D66, VVD and CDA parties.

He did acknowledge that not all the reductions could be compensated by more efficient methods. “Some choices will have to be made regarding what the government should be doing less or not at all,” Mr Van der Burg said.

He added that the government wanted to tighten the rules around the Freedom of Information law Woo, which citizens and journalists rely on to access public information.

“The requests for information are frequently so broad that it is no longer clear what information we are supposed to provide,” the minister wrote.

Source: Dutch News

(Link and quotes via original reporting)