Size of federal public service drops by 12,600 jobs

A Government of Canada building is seen in spring of 2026 in this file photo. (CTV News Ottawa)

The size of the federal public service dropped by another 12,600 positions this spring, the second straight year the number of people working for the federal government decreased.

New statistics from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat show there were 345,282 federal public servants at the end of March, down from 357,965 federal workers in March 2025. The government employed 367,772 federal public servants in March 2024.

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The number of people working in “core public administration” departments dropped from 279,393 employees in March 2025 to 270,477 in March, while the number of people working in agencies dropped by just over 3,700 to 74,805 employees.

The Canada Revenue Agency reported the largest reduction in employees for the second straight year. The CRA lost 3,725 workers during the 2025-26 year, with the size of the workforce dropping from 52,499 in 2025 to 48,774 at the end of March.

More than 3,600 positions were cut at Employment and Social Development Canada, with the workforce sitting at 35,540 employees in March. The number of employees at Public Services and Procurement Canada dropped by nearly 900 to 18,057 in March 2026.

At Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the size of the workforce shrunk by 583 positions to 13,868 in March. Health Canada’s workforce decreased by 572 positions to 9,056 employees, while the size of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s workforce dropped by 495 positions to 2,877 employees.

The Department of National Defence was one of the few departments to see an increase in its workforce over the past year. There were 31,838 employees at DND at the end of March, up from 29,121 employees in March 2025.

The number of employees at the Communications Security Establishment increased from 3,686 in March 2025 to 4,029 employees in March 2026.

The Canada Strong Budget 2025, released in November, outlined a plan to reduce the size of the federal public service by 28,000 positions by 2029, including 16,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions eliminated through the comprehensive expenditure review. Another 12,000 jobs will be cut through attrition and early retirement packages.

More than 25,000 federal public servants and executives have received notices warning their jobs may be affected by the comprehensive expenditure review.

National Capital Region

The number of people working for the federal government in the national capital region has decreased by 7,800 over the past year.

According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, there were 146,149 federal public servants in the Ottawa-Gatineau area at the end of March, down from 153,979 employees in March 2025. A total of 155,505 people worked for the federal government in the national capital region in March 2024.

In Ottawa, 111,200 people worked for the federal government at the end of March.

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Largest federal departments

Here is a look at the number of public servants in the largest federal departments.

Canada Revenue Agency

• 2026: 48,774
• 2025: 52,499

Employment and Social Development Canada

• 2026: 35,540
• 2025: 39,154

National Defence

• 2026: 31,838
• 2025: 29,121

Correctional Service Canada

• 2026: 18,846
• 2025: 18,902

Public Services and Procurement Canada

• 2026: 18,057
• 2025: 18,936

Canada Border Services Agency

• 2026: 16,759
• 2025: 17,234

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

• 2026: 13,868
• 2025: 14,451

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• 2026: 11,218
• 2025: 11,220

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

• 2026: 10,848
• 2025: 11,148

Health Canada

• 2026: 9,056
• 2025: 9,628