Chile Transparency Council Rebuts Kast: Central Government Workforce Grew by 9,400, Not 100,000

The Council for Transparency (CPLT) released its annual oversight of the State Administration and, comparing September 2023 with September 2024, found that the central government headcount grew by 9,400 people. That total is far from the 100,000 that José Antonio Kast attributed to President Gabriel Boric’s entire administration, even though the CPLT report covers only the most recent year available.

We said it: they will lie, defame, and use the full machinery of the State to cling to power. But truth will prevail and we will win, because Chileans are tired of the incompetence of this bad government. pic.twitter.com/T0N3pYhJBB

— José Antonio Kast Rist 🖐️🇨🇱 (@joseantoniokast) October 8, 2025

CPLT: 9,400 in the central government — what the report says

According to the study, the State Administration went from 832,211 to 841,613 employees between Sep/2023 and Sep/2024. Of that total, 449,443 belong to the Central Administration (53%) and 392,170 to municipalities (47%). The increase was concentrated in the central government (nearly +10 thousand), while the municipal sector slightly decreased (–287). This headline figure — CPLT: 9,400 in the central government — reflects net staffing variation (additions minus departures), not gross hiring totals.

Methodology and time frame

The CPLT compared information published on agencies’ transparency portals at two snapshots (September 2023 vs September 2024). By design, the review does not cover the entire 2022–2026 presidential term, yet the gap between 9,400 and the 100,000 figure circulated by Kast is still substantial.

Public-sector composition and key findings

Within the Central Administration, fixed-term a contrata roles account for 61% of headcount, followed by planta (permanent) positions (18%), Labor Code contracts (14%), and honorarios (7%). The CPLT also warns that nearly all entities reviewed appear not to comply with the Administrative Statute rule capping a contrata staff at no more than 20% of planta posts.
By sector, Health concentrates roughly 50% of Central Administration personnel (more than 223,000 workers) and Education around 17% (over 77,000).

Reactions and public debate

From the Executive, in remarks shared by Radio Cooperativa before the CPLT publication, Finance Minister Nicolás Grau said:

It is not true that this government has hired 100,000 new public employees. Between 2021 and 2024, public-sector headcount has grown in municipalities — which do not depend on the central government — due to transfers of staff from municipalities to the Local Education Services (SLEP) and to reinforcement of health services.

In the same context, the finance chief emphasized:

There is a candidate who keeps repeating that he will cut 6 billion dollars. He says half of that cut would come from firing these public employees, but as has already been clarified, the total he could actually lay off is far smaller and in no case even reaches 200 million dollars.
If they plan to fire 100,000 employees, where will they come from? From health services? From the expansion of the Carabineros roster?

For her part, after Kast spoke about government staffing, Government spokesperson Camila Vallejo stated:

The candidate should not read only a headline, especially if he aspires to the Presidency of the Republic. He should read full investigations or news articles — that is the responsible thing to do. The piece he cites confirms that what we say is accurate, and what he claims is totally and absolutely false.

From the opposition’s technical camp, the former Budget Director in Piñera’s second administration, Matías Acevedo, wrote on X:

If you read that article — and not just the headline — Minister Camila Vallejo is right. Saying the government has hired 100,000 additional people is fake news. These figures pertain to the State and include municipalities and other institutions that are independent of the government in office.

If you read the article (and don’t stop at the headline), Minister @camila_vallejo is correct: claiming the government has hired 100,000 additional people is #FakeNews.
These figures correspond to the State, including municipalities and other institutions that are independent of the… pic.twitter.com/G5IlXCiEBU

— Matias Acevedo F. (@matiasacevedof) October 8, 2025

Kast’s 100,000 claim fails a basic fact-check against official data

With these figures, Kast’s 100,000 does not withstand a basic check against the evidence: the CPLT documents an increase of 9,400 in the central government between Sep/2023 and Sep/2024. Presenting that number as government hiring mixes levels and time frames (State vs. central administration, municipalities included) and misleads voters in the middle of the campaign — a claim already labeled totally false by Camila Vallejo and fake news by former budget chief Matías Acevedo. The report also shows the rise is concentrated in Health and Education, dominated by a contrata contracts, and flags possible noncompliance with the Administrative Statute. There is an urgent need to publish comparable series for the entire presidential term.