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ARGENTINA

Milei's government has already laid off more than 52,000 public employees.

Javier Milei's administration is deepening the state adjustment with cuts to ministries and public companies

The national government cut 52,309 public sector jobs over the 19 months of its administration(all of these were workers with unjustified functions in the State, incorporated by Kirchnerist governments, which granted those positions to their supporters).

All this takes place within the framework of the spending reduction policy promoted by President JavierMilei. According to official data, the main reductions were recorded in the National Public Administration and in state-owned companies and corporations.

In December 2023, prior to the change of government, the Public Administration had 205,550 employees and the state-owned companies had 91,166. By June 2025, these figures had dropped to 175,146 and 74,933, respectively. There was also a decrease of 5,672 positions in military and security personnel.

Stacked bar chart showing the cumulative difference in the number of jobs between December 2023 and June 2025, broken down by centralized and decentralized administration, military and security personnel, and state-owned companies, with a black line indicating the total and a downward trend in employment.
Representative graph of the accumulated difference in the number of jobs | La Derecha Diario

The Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, defended the measure: "By June it allows us to save 2.1 billion dollars in taxes. Since much of public spending is a burden on the private sector, less spending means more freedom. Everything President Javier Milei asks for in a chart".

Among the ministries with the largest cuts are the Ministry of Economy, which went from 69,297 employees in December 2023 to 58,100 in June 2025, and the Cabinet Office, which reduced its workforce from 34,971 to 29,771 workers. The Ministry of Human Capital recorded a reduction of more than 6,300 positions.

In the state business sector, Aerolíneas Argentinas cut 1,734 jobs, going from 11,617 to 9,883 workers. Radio and  Televisión Argentina (RTA) reduced its staff by 229 positions, while the State Advertising Agency went from 790 to 166 employees.

Other companies with significant adjustments were AYSA, which dropped from 7,680 to 6,187 employees, Trenes Argentinos Operaciones (SOFSE), which went from 23,875 to 21,522, and Casa de la Moneda, which reduced its staff by 40% (from 1,390 to 821 workers).

Middle-aged bald man in a dark suit and red tie speaking and gesturing while seated in a white armchair during an event or conference
Federico Sturzenegger - Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation of the Argentine Nation | La Derecha Diario

The adjustment especially impacted special contracts. According to the report, while the permanent and temporary staff fell by 9.1%, regular contracts dropped by 21.5% and contracts without an employment relationship (LOYS) were reduced by 52.7%, going from 6,810 in December 2023 to 3,221 in June 2025.

Meanwhile, 1,081 employees remain in  "availability status", a mechanism that suspends the employment relationship while their reassignment is evaluated, mainly in the Ministry of Human Capital.

The cutback occurs in a context of wage tension. The State Workers Association (ATE) rejectedthe government's latest offer, which proposed a 7.5%increase distributed in six installments, in addition to fixed sums between $20,000 and $25,000. In contrast, the National Civil Personnel Union (UPCN) accepted the agreement.

The Executive keeps its strategy of reducing the size of the State, in line with the goal of decreasing the deficit and moving forward with the privatization of companies such as AYSA and other public corporations.

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