In all government ministries and the State Chancellery, 10% of jobs are vacant, reflecting the 'average temperature' in government administration and possibly in local governments, as the system replicates itself from the top down, public media reports.
A 10% reduction in the 18 billion euro expenditure part of the 2026 budget amounts to exactly 1.8 billion euros. It is clear that not all expenses can be attributed to salaries, but a significant portion of the deficit could be covered by eliminating vacancies.
The ministries and the State Chancellery are the central apparatus of government administration, and it has long been known that a staff of 4,000 civil servants is impractical. At the same time, the existence of vacancies indicates that the ministries are managing well with the current number of employees. This means that expenses could be minimized by 'firing' vacant positions. Those who perform their jobs should remain and work, while vacant seats are simply removed from the budget.
It is known that if money is given, it will be spent, and these funds will not return to the budget. In fact, this system has been in place since the moment of gaining independence, and since 1991, the budgeting of institutions has always been based on the position principle.
Let’s take a simple structure - a museum. The basis of the budget is the number of positions, not the needs for storing collections or other factors. The defining factor is the positions, and with a decrease in their number, the museum's budget proportionally decreases as well. It is clear that this assumption is based on anecdotes and private testimonies and may be inaccurate, but there is no smoke without fire, especially since the wage fund always constitutes a large part of the expenses.
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