Newly created services, such as Safe. brussels for security and Paradigm for digital transformation, also contributed to the increase in staff numbers. However, recent years have been marked by dysfunctions, such as the scandal involving the director of Paradigm, sanctioned for abuse of public funds.
In a few years, the number of Brussels civil servants has increased from 17,694 in 2018 to 22,806 in 2023, an increase of 29%. If we exclude the Stib, this increase reaches 39%. This has led to an explosion in salary costs, which are expected to increase from 1.2 billion euros in 2018 to 1.8 billion in 2024, an increase of 50%.
This situation weighs heavily on the budget of the Brussels Region, which shows a deficit. It spends 7.8 billion euros for 6.5 billion in revenue. Nearly a quarter of the budget is devoted to civil servants’ salaries.
To try to limit the drift, a crucial decision was taken by Sven Gatz during the last legislature: a ban on recruitment. For a year, no new civil servants can be recruited, even in the event of retirements or resignations, which should save 35 million euros.
