More than 400 executive positions to be reduced through Career Transition (CT) processes
The federal government is moving ahead with a multi‑year plan to shrink the core public administration (CPA).
New workforce data updated Jan. 30, 2026 show that, across 164,722 employees and executives in the CPA, 15,755 employee positions and 642 executive positions are currently listed “to be reduced.”
Of these, 8,230 employee positions and 425 executive positions are identified as to be reduced through Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) processes.
In total, 22,181 letters of affected status have gone to employees and 882 at‑risk letters to executives. “Affected” indicates that the services of an indeterminate employee may no longer be required, while “at risk” signals that the services of an indeterminate executive may no longer be required. The government notes that more people are often notified than will ultimately leave the CPA.
Earlier, Ottawa had started notifying public servants that their positions may be affected as Ottawa moves ahead with plans to cut thousands of jobs over the next four years, according to a report.
Largest reductions in Ottawa
Among the departments showing the largest reductions so far, Employment and Social Development Canada has 5,313 employee positions and 98 executive positions to be reduced, while Global Affairs Canada has 780 employee positions and 60 executive positions slated for elimination.
Budget 2025 set out the results of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER), which “identified savings across government of $13 billion annually by 2028‑2029.” According to the federal government, savings will be achieved by “restructuring operations and consolidating internal services, adjusting programs to realize efficiencies, and in some cases moving away from programs that are not meeting their objectives.”
Overall, Ottawa will reduce the size of the federal public service by about 40,000 positions—or 10 per cent—by 2028-29.
The CER will also “involve returning the federal public service population to a more sustainable level of 330,000 from close to 368,000 in 2023‑2024,” including a reduction of 1,000 executive positions. Most departments have been told to find up to 15 per cent in savings over three years, while a smaller group with essential mandates, such as National Defence and Public Safety, have 2 per cent targets “in recognition of the need to maintain continuity in the delivery of critical services,” the government said.
Workforce adjustment for employees
The federal government defines WFA as “the process organizations use in the core public administration when it has been determined that a position is no longer required due to a lack of work, a discontinuance of a function, a relocation of a work unit in which the employee does not wish to relocate, or an alternative delivery initiative.” Under collective agreements, “employees must be informed that their position may be affected.”
The process “is meant to ensure that, wherever possible, alternative employment opportunities are provided to employees in WFA situations” and, where appropriate, to provide “supports for employees who leave the CPA under WFA.”
WFA provisions apply to indeterminate employees in the CPA. Staff represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) are covered by WFA appendices in their collective agreements. Other non‑executive employees, including unrepresented staff, fall under the National Joint Council’s Work Force Adjustment Directive. In all cases, “WFA provisions must be respected,” the government says.
Under this process, employees first receive a notification of affected status if their position may be eliminated; they receive WFA status once the position is being eliminated. When five or more employees at the same group and level in the same work unit are affected, “an organization must establish a voluntary departure program (VDP).” Volunteers have 30 days to choose from severance‑style or education options. If too many volunteer, “volunteers will be selected for voluntary departure based on seniority.”
If positions still need to be cut after a VDP, departments conduct a Selection of Employees for Retention or Lay‑off (SERLO) process “to determine which employees will be retained or laid off,” governed by regulations and guidance from the Public Service Commission.
Employees confirmed in WFA status may be declared surplus with a guarantee of a reasonable job offer, or “opting” with three choices: a 12‑month paid surplus priority period to secure a new job; a transition support payment; or an education allowance, sometimes combined with up to two years of leave without pay. If an employee does not choose within 120 days, the 12‑month surplus priority option applies.
An “alternation” mechanism also allows an opting or surplus employee to exchange positions with an employee in a non‑affected job who is willing to leave the CPA.
Career transition for executives
Meanwhile, executives are managed under a separate CT regime. CT is “the process organizations in the core public administration (CPA) follow when a deputy head determines that a position is no longer required due to lack of work, a discontinuance of a function or transfer of work or a function outside the public service.” The process is “designed to support executives through a significant career change, whether they seek continued employment within it or choose to leave the CPA.”
Indeterminate executives in specified groups and levels receive written notice when their position and services are no longer required. They may face a SERLO process similar to that for employees, or be offered options to leave the CPA under a negotiated career transition agreement or seek continued employment with surplus priority.
Executives who choose to leave can also negotiate “bridging agreements” such as leave without pay or Interchange Canada assignments to support pension or external employment, and may use alternation to swap roles with another executive willing to depart.
Here’s the breakdown of the number of workers in different government departments that will be affected by the job cuts:
