Argentina's Milei slashes 24,000 government jobs
Argentina's President Javier Milei, who took office four months ago, has made significant cuts to public employment as part of an initiative to reduce the country's deficit. To date, the administration has terminated the positions of 24,000 government employees. Milei has expressed his intention to increase this number to 70,000, which represents about 10% of all government workers. Gustavo Diaz, a former employee at the Argentine Meteorological Service, shared his challenging experience after losing his job due to the government's austerity measures. Having spent 15 years with the meteorological service, transitioning from a technician to an archivist, Diaz now faces difficulties finding new employment at 56. He describes the loss of his job as devastating, emphasizing the importance of his work in the context of the climate crisis and its contributions to weather data accuracy. The layoffs were announced amidst an economic downturn in Argentina, characterized by reduced industrial output and a decrease in construction activity. The sectors affected by these cuts span across social security, family services, agriculture, education, industrial, and labor policy. These measures are defended by President Milei's chief economic advisor as necessary for reducing Argentina's substantial budget deficit, despite the challenge presented by the recession and diminished tax revenues. Critics and experts offer varied perspectives on the scale and impact of the government's actions. Researcher Isidro Guadarruchi, affiliated with the Latin American Economic Research Foundation and a university professor, argues that the proportion of public employees to total workers in Argentina is not excessive when compared internationally. He finds that Argentina's public sector size aligns moderately with those of other countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Latin America. Despite the government's pledges for further cuts, many public employees remain anxious about the future of their jobs.