Facing a workforce adjustment notice in Ottawa’s public service? Learn what it means, your options, and how to prepare your resume, interviews, and next career steps.
Layoff notices are circulating across Ottawa’s public service. Under Budget 2025, the government plans to reduce roughly 40,000 positions by 2028–29.
If you’ve received, or expect to receive, a workforce adjustment notice, understanding what it means and reviewing resume examples can help restore a sense of control.
This kind of notice isn’t a reflection of your performance. It’s about broader changes. Preparing early can help protect your career stability.
Workforce adjustments are already affecting several departments, including Natural Resources Canada, the Public Service Commission, Crown Indigenous Relations, and Finance. More notices are expected in 2026, with Canada Post also planning reductions.
This is not isolated. It is unfolding over time, which makes early awareness helpful.
Receiving a workforce adjustment notice does not mean you are losing your job immediately.
For indeterminate employees, a workforce adjustment notice starts a formal process set out in your collective agreement. The purpose of this process is to explore placement options and provide time to plan next steps before any job loss occurs.
Depending on how your situation is assessed, you may be:
Those choices may include:
A workforce adjustment notice provides time and defined options. It is not an automatic layoff, and decisions follow clear timelines.
A workforce adjustment notice from the Government of Canada means your position has been identified as no longer required, but it does not mean you are losing your job immediately. It begins a formal, structured process set out in your collective agreement that provides information, options, and time to plan your next steps before any job loss occurs.
Public service layoffs are budget-driven, not performance-based. Still, the impact can feel unsettling.
Before applying, focus on understanding your status, preparing a clear transition explanation, and updating your resume to reflect transferable skills. Many people stall here not from lack of experience, but because translating public-sector work is difficult. This is one of the areas Yotru supports.
Many employees wait until they are required to apply before reviewing their resume, which can limit options.
Public service resumes often need adjustment for roles outside government. Focus on:
Yotru helps translate federal experience into resumes that are clear, ATS-aware, and appropriate for both internal redeployment and external hiring.
Many opportunities during workforce adjustments emerge through conversations, not just job postings. You will likely be asked:
Strong answers are brief, factual, and forward-focused. Practicing them matters.
Yotru’s interview preparation tools are designed to help you rehearse these conversations calmly and confidently, without over-explaining or underselling your experience.
Depending on your classification, you may pursue redeployment, alternation, or exit options. Understanding timelines and trade-offs is essential. Union and HR guidance remains critical here.
This transition is about positioning, not erasing, your experience.
Upload your resume to see how it performs in applicant tracking systems. Yotru’s ATS check highlights practical improvements for redeployment or external roles.
Many employees review their resume privately at this stage, before any application deadlines apply.
There’s no need to apply anywhere today. This is simply about understanding where you stand.
If you’re still reviewing your notice, you may find this Ottawa workforce adjustment guide helpful.
Team Yotru
Employability Systems & Applied Research
Team Yotru
Employability Systems & Applied Research
We bring expertise in career education, workforce development, labor market research, and employability technology. We partner with training providers, career services teams, nonprofits, and public-sector organizations to turn research and policy into practical tools used in real employment and retraining programs. Our approach balances evidence and real hiring realities to support employability systems that work in practice. Follow us on LinkedIn.
Common questions about workforce adjustment notices and job cuts in Ottawa's public service
It means your position may be impacted by staffing reductions, but it does not mean immediate job loss. You enter a formal process with options for redeployment or transition.
This article provides comprehensive guidance for federal public service employees in Ottawa facing workforce adjustment notices due to job cuts. It covers understanding official processes, employee options, practical resume and interview preparation, and strategies to manage career transitions effectively.
The content is grounded in verified federal workforce adjustment policies and union communications. It avoids exaggerated claims and focuses on evidence-based guidance aligned with collective agreements and real hiring practices.
Insights were developed through analysis of federal workforce adjustment processes, union disclosures, and public sector hiring workflows. The article emphasizes repeatable strategies supported by labor market research and institutional practices.
This information is intended for general guidance and does not guarantee specific outcomes. Individual experiences may vary depending on departmental policies, role classifications, and evolving market conditions.
If you are working on employability programs, hiring strategy, career education, or workforce outcomes and want practical guidance, you are in the right place.
Yotru supports individuals and organizations navigating real hiring systems. That includes resumes and ATS screening, career readiness, program design, evidence collection, and alignment with employer expectations. We work across education, training, public sector, and industry to turn guidance into outcomes that actually hold up in practice.
Part of Yotru's commitment to helping professionals succeed in real hiring systems through evidence-based guidance.
More insights from our research team
Citigroup is eliminating approximately 1,000 positions in January 2026, with additional cuts expected in March targeting managing directors and senior staff. This guide explains what's happening, your options, and how to move forward.
More than 1,000 Health Canada employees have received workforce adjustment notices as part of federal government plans to reduce the public service by approximately 40,000 positions by 2028-29.
More than 1,000 Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) employees have received workforce adjustment (WFA) notices as part of federal government plans to reduce the public service by approximately 40,000 positions by 2028‑29.
Affected by the January 2026 IRS restructuring? This guide covers what happened, your benefits and severance options, and how to plan your next career move.
