Edouard Philippe proposes cutting 250,000 civil servant positions by 2029
As part of his campaign for the presidential election, Edouard Philippe presented a plan aimed at reducing public spending, including a reform of the civil service. During the Rencontres de l’avenir on November 7th, he announced his intention to eliminate 250,000 civil servant positions over the next five years.
The proposal is based on not replacing one-third of civil servants who are retiring. “France has a significant civil service, and it is necessary to act,” declared the mayor of Le Havre. Nearly 750,000 civil servants are expected to retire in the next five years, and Mr. Philippe’s plan provides for these positions not to be filled.
According to his estimates, this measure would achieve a quarter of the effort needed to consolidate public finances. France currently has 5.85 million public employees, distributed between the state, hospitals, and local authorities.
Mr. Philippe highlighted a significant increase in the number of employees in local authorities over the past 20 years, now representing 35% of the total number of civil servants. “The largest increase in public employment in the last 20 years, and by far, is in local government civil service,” he affirmed, while acknowledging that these staff are not necessarily useless. He called for a reassessment of administrative organization and the missions of civil servants.
Source
“250 000 fonctionnaires en moins en cinq ans, «c’est un effort faisable», assure Edouard Philippe”
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