The province is slowly trying to cut vacant jobs in government departments.
Minister John Lohr told reporters on Thursday that government employers have a directive: once a vacant position is filled, another vacant one must be cut.
He says they are looking for creative ways to save money.
“We’re looking for creative solutions. We’re not looking for mass layoffs. We realize this is incremental. This will have an impact over time,” said Lohr.
He says the rule applies to about 12,000 jobs but only a small percentage of those are currently vacant.
Lohr says it does not apply to front line workers like teachers or health care workers.
This comes as the province wrestles with its largest deficit ever. It is projected to be more than $1.225 billion, an increase of more than $500 million since the 2025-26 budget was originally presented in February.
