BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Public sector employment in Argentina declined steadily during the first two years of President Javier Milei's administration, with more than 63,000 federal jobs eliminated as part of a fiscal austerity program, according to a report by the Center for Argentine Political Economy.
Based on official statistics from the National Institute of Statistics and Census, the study found that between December 2023 and December 2025, the national government workforce fell by 63,234 positions, a drop of 18.4%. The decline continued throughout the period without interruption or recovery phases.
The job cuts align with the government's fiscal adjustment policy launched after Milei took office in December 2023. Reducing public spending has been a central pillar of the administration's economic program and has resulted in a significant downsizing of the state sector.
Most of the reductions occurred in state-owned companies and public corporations, the report said. Cuts also affected decentralized agencies, which manage specific policy areas with administrative autonomy, followed by central government offices that include ministries directly under the executive branch.
Smaller reductions were recorded in regional administrative offices and other public entities.
