Public Sector: Who Are the Largest Public Employers?

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According to figures recently published by the INS, in 2025, the distribution of public sector staff by ministerial department highlights a concentration of personnel at a few major public employers.

The Ministry of Education constitutes the main department in terms of staffing with 197,836 agents, followed by the Ministry of Interior (96,146 agents), the Ministry of Defense (87,765 agents) and the Ministry of Public Health (78,622 agents).

“These four departments thus account for the majority of the public sector workforce. Between 2018 and 2025, staffing changes differ by ministerial departments,” reads the INS analysis.

The Ministry of Education remains the top public employer throughout the period, with staffing generally stable and an increase in 2025 compared to 2024. The Ministry of Public Health also records an overall increase over the period, despite intermediate fluctuations.

 Conversely, some departments experience a decrease in their staffing levels between 2018 and 2025.

This is notably the case for the Ministry of Agriculture, whose staff numbers fall from 27,534 agents to 21,421 agents, as well as the Ministry of Higher Education, which records a decline over the period. The Ministries of Interior and Defense show, for their part, more moderate changes, with annual variations around relatively stable levels.

Thus, the structure of staffing by ministry remains heavily concentrated around the education, security, defense, and health sectors, while the other departments show differentiated changes during the 2018-2025 period.