By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The government of interim President Michel Temer, announced on Friday its plans to do away with more than 4,300 commissioned positions in the federal government with the objective of reducing expenditures by around R$230 million per year, according to officials.
“The objective of the measures is to improve the administration and redefine the structure of the Executive, reinforcing professionalism in public administration,” noted acting Planning Minister, Dyogo Oliveira.
According to Oliveira, the during the next few days the government will decide how many positions will have to be extinguished from each ministry. The cuts are expected to be concluded in thirty days.
The first employees to be let go are expected to be those who have been appointed by officials and not passed the selective process test, known as concurso publico. Those who passed the test but whose jobs are being extinguished are expected to be transferred to other positions.
Last week President Temer said he would not appoint any more directors or presidents of state-controlled entities until a law is passed that requires positions to be filled with technocrats and not political nominations.
According to data from the Planning Ministry, the federal government currently has two million employees with a payroll which uses almost forty percent of the federal government’s revenues. Last year the federal government paid in wages and pensions a whooping R$255.3 billion, 5.3 percent of the country’s GDP. The latest figure represents the largest percentage of the GDP since 1995.