More than 2,500 public servants have voluntarily left their jobs in the federal public service after receiving a workforce adjustment notice over the past year, as the federal government looks to trim the size of its workforce by 2029. The Canada Strong Budget 2025, released in November 2025, outlined plans to cut 16,000 full-time equivalent positions through the Comprehensive Expenditure Review, with another 12,000 positions, including 350 executive positions, eliminated through attrition and early retirement packages. More than 25,000 executives and non-executive employees in the federal government have received workforce adjustment notices, warning their jobs may be affected by the cuts. According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 9,643 non-executive positions have been identified in departments in the core public service to be cut through workforce adjustments. The Treasury Board says 4,854 employees who received workforce adjustment notices selected one of the three options available to them to depart the federal public service as of Oct. 14. The options are: The options were: The Treasury Board says 2,555 public servants volunteered to leave the federal public service and were accepted for voluntary departure. A total of 19,274 employees are eligible for the voluntary departure program. Federal departments were required to establish a voluntary departure program when five or more employees at the same group and level and work in the same unit are notified their jobs may be affected by the comprehensive expenditure review. Employees who want to leave the core public service under the voluntary departure program have 30 days to choose one of the options. The Treasury Board says another 986 employees choose to leave the public service through the alternation program. The alteration process allows employees who are opting and those who have chosen Option A to exchange positions with an alternate employee who is not in an affected position and is willing to leave the core public service. Of the 4,854 employees who have selected one of the options available to depart the federal public service through the workforce adjustment process, the majority of them accepted a cash payment based on their years of service. Here is a look at the options selected by public servants through the workforce adjustments. Federal departments and agencies have identified 17,977 non-executive positions and 832 executive positions to be eliminated through workforce adjustment, attrition and early retirement. According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s website, 5,313 positions have been identified to be eliminated at Employment and Social Development Canada, 1,056 positions will be eliminated at Health Canada and 1,022 jobs will be cut at Public Services and Procurement Canada. Early retirement figures More than 9,000 federal public servants have been approved for early retirement packages. Eligible federal employees had until July 24 to apply for the Early Retirement Incentive program, which allowed employees to apply to retire with an “immediate pension based on years of service, with no reduction for retiring early.” A total of 10,006 applications were received for the Early Retirement Incentive program by the deadline The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat says, as of Oct. 13, 9,694 applications have been confirmed for early retirement. A total of 401 applications were discontinued and 102 applications were denied.
