Nearly 10,000 federal public servants warned of possible job cuts, unions say

Nearly 10,000 federal public servants across multiple departments have been notified in recent days that their positions could be affected by upcoming workforce reductions, according to the unions representing them.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says more than 5,000 of its members received workforce adjustment notices over the past week. Those notices were issued to employees working in several federal departments, including Global Affairs Canada, Transport Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and Health Canada.

Workforce adjustment notices signal that positions may be impacted by budgetary or organizational changes, but they do not automatically result in layoffs. Unions note that the final number of job losses remains uncertain, as affected employees may be reassigned, retrained, or placed in alternate roles within the public service.

The Canadian Association of Professional Employees reports that approximately 2,550 of its members received similar notices. That group includes more than 500 employees at Employment and Social Development Canada and just over 100 workers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Meanwhile, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada says more than 2,700 of its members were also notified this week. Union leaders have expressed concern about the scale of the notices and are calling for transparency from the federal government as departments continue to assess staffing levels.