We've heard plenty about companies trimming staff because of AI. Now a national government is saying it out loud. The Dutch government announced this week that it plans to cut about 25,000 civil service jobs over the next several years, and AI sits right at the center of the plan.
The details came in a letter to parliament from Eric van den Burg, the state secretary for effective government. His line was pretty blunt: "We cannot keep doing what we have been doing." He promised a government that's "simpler, smarter, and smaller." The goal is to save about €900 million a year by 2027, rising to roughly €3.5 billion a year from 2035. That's about $3.9 billion.
Not every part of government gets hit the same way. Police and defense are exempt, but some ministries, inspectorates and agencies could see cuts of 45% or even 60%. The government also wants to scrap 500 unnecessary or overly bureaucratic rules every year, which should reduce the number of people needed to process paperwork. Parliament has already passed non-binding motions calling for a 20% productivity boost through AI, and the cabinet says it'll present its AI plans early next year. There's a European angle, too, since the plan favors Dutch and European tech suppliers over foreign ones.
For context, Dutch government headcount hit a record 160,000 at the end of 2025, up 41% since 2018, even though leaders had promised to shrink it. So this is partly about AI and partly about finally keeping an old promise.
Plenty of people will cheer for a leaner government. Others will wonder who answers the phone when the AI gets your tax form wrong.
