More than 500 state jobs were abolished Wednesday by the Board of Public Works through a combination of elimination of vacant positions and the departure of hundreds of workers who took an early buyout.
All told, the elimination of 502 positions is expected to save $27.4 million in fiscal 2026, said Marc Nicole, the deputy secretary of the Department of Budget and Management, who presented the cuts to the board. He said the eliminated jobs are expected to save $47.2 million in fiscal 2027 and in years going forward.
Nicole said 170 abolished jobs were vacant positions that were deemed unneeded and were eliminated, but the other 332 were state employees who took an early buyout under the Voluntary Separation Program unveiled this summer as part 0f the state’s budget-cutting efforts.
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