Aliushyna: the issue of reducing the number of civil servants is not on the table at all for NACS right now
Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service (NACS), stated that every state body is currently experiencing a staff shortage, and therefore the issue of reducing the number of civil servants is not on the agenda.
In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, Aliushyna noted that the number of civil servants has decreased by more than 16,000 since the invasion began, meaning the system has lost specialists at a time when the workload is increasing due to European integration processes and the National Program for the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU law. She emphasized that monitoring shows staff are exhausted, and the burden is further increased because 4,659 civil servants are currently serving in the military, with their duties often redistributed among remaining colleagues.
Regarding previous initiatives to merge departments or create a Government Center—which would have involved significant layoffs—the head of NACS stated that while these were discussed several years ago, the current reality is that state bodies lack the personnel to cover essential functions. She noted that a functional audit conducted in 2022 showed the current staff levels barely cover the necessary requirements.
According to Aliushyna, there were 171,500 civil servants in Ukraine before the full-scale invasion, compared to 154,900 today—a decrease of 16,600. Additionally, average quarterly staff turnover in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 was approximately 7%. She noted that many young employees leave within their first year, highlighting the importance of leadership and mentorship in retention. There are currently 30,600 vacancies in the civil service.
