Ukraine to cut more than 4,000 vacant central government posts in first phase

Ukraine's government plans to cut more than 4,000 vacant positions in central executive bodies in the first phase of a civil service streamlining, Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said on 6 October, according to a Cabinet release. The number of deputy ministers will be tied to workload and reduced by about 20 per cent, and deputy heads of other central executive bodies will be cut by almost 18 per cent, the release says.

Functions first, then headcount

The release says the government will first review what functions each body performs and only then set its structure and final headcount, so the figures announced cover the first phase only. It describes the aim as a professional civil service able to carry out its tasks quickly and effectively. Training will be tied to the tasks of each specific position, outreach and internships for young people will begin, and a separate programme for veterans is planned, according to the release.

The Council on Public Administration, which includes officials, members of parliament and experts, has resumed work, the release says. A detailed plan was presented at its meeting, and those responsible for each area were named. The release does not say which bodies will be merged or abolished, what the cuts are expected to save, what legal act will carry them or when later phases will follow, and it does not link the plan to requirements of the IMF or the EU.

The fiscal backdrop

The announcement came the same day Koretskyi met leaders of local and regional authorities to explain the postponement of what the Cabinet calls certain non-priority expenditures. According to a second Cabinet release, participants discussed public finances and a strict austerity regime that led to non-priority spending being postponed so that defence needs, salaries and pensions could be fully covered. Koretskyi said restoring the postponed spending depends on securing international financing and meeting all the conditions for assistance from partners. The release names neither the expenditures nor any amounts.

On 16 October the Prime Minister said the government was gradually restoring funding for temporarily suspended expenditures, including for the regions, after Parliament backed a number of bills that open the way to part of the international financial assistance needed to cover the 2026 deficit, according to a third release. Further restoration depends on receiving the full amount of assistance and on lawmakers continuing their work in the coming session weeks, it says. The release gives no amounts or sequence.