More than 30% of jobs at DPMC to be disestablished

Tuesday, 3 June 2025

More than 30% of jobs at the prime minister’s department are being disestablished in a bid to cut headcount by 12 people.

A broad restructure of the 247-strong Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is under way, a spokesperson has confirmed, and it is proposed that 77 existing jobs ‒ 57 occupied, 20 vacant ‒ be disestablished, but 65 new roles created.

The organisation’s total headcount will therefore drop by 12 people.

“These changes are part of a wider work programme looking at sharpening our focus, updating how we work, and realigning our resources to deliver maximum impact where it matters most,” the DPMC spokesperson said.

“It is also about creating a financially sustainable model at a time of fiscal restraint.”

Job cuts at the DPMC are the latest in rounds of redundancies in the public sector since 2024, as the coalition Government has sought to re-prioritise billions in spending.

Thousands of jobs have been slashed across the public sector. The Public Service Commission says that, as of December 2024, there were 2731 fewer full-time equivalent jobs in the public sector than the year prior.

While there have been cost savings and tweaks to the organisational structure at DPMC ‒ such as moving former prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s child poverty unit into the Ministry of Social Development, and creating a “delivery unit” ‒ until now there has been no sizeable restructure.

DPMC is one of five central government agencies. It is tasked with advising and supporting the prime minister, Cabinet, and the governor-general, and does cross-government work on risks and monitoring the government’s policy targets.

The restructure comes more than a year after former diplomat Ben King was appointed secretary of DPMC.

The restructure cuts across the department’s many and varied functions: the National Security Group, Risk and Systems Governance Group, the Prime Minister’s Advisory Group of top-shelf policy advisers, the delivery unit, the Cabinet Office, and Government House.

“We are proposing a mix of options, each with slightly differing headcount numbers, but it is proposed DPMC (across all groups) move from a structure funded for a headcount of 247 to one of around 235,” the spokesperson said.

Final decisions on the restructure will be made public in early July.