As Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama starts this year his goal of "rightsizing" the city government's manpower, about 1,000 casual employees are now unemployed.

Rama told the media that the plan is to trim the number of employees, whether regular, casual, or job order (JO), to just 3,000 before his term ends in 2025.

He clarified though that to prevent the matter from being politicized, the employees' work performance will be evaluated. Those who pass will be retained, those who fail will go.

He wanted to streamline "online transactions" and go paperless in all offices and departments for easier business at the city hall. He expects 27 departments to be connected online.

"We're pursuing doing an ease of doing business, and online too. Twenty-seven departments are expected to be online. So there will less people coming to City Hall and because of that we are pursuing 'rightsizing' as a management prerogative," Rama said.

The Commission on Audit (COA) had found the number to be excessive and regarded to be a " waste of money."

Rama recalled when he first became mayor in 2010, the city hall had around 4,000 employees, this increased to 10,000 when the coronavirus pandemic struck under the late Mayor Edgardo Labella.

The rightsizing was supposed to start in October 2023, but Rama deferred it to 2024 so the employees would receive their Christmas bonus.

"Likely, the regular employees will not be affected by the downsizing since they cannot be terminated because of security of tenure unless, of course, there are grounds. Number two, for casuals, if they are not renewed, then they are terminated but they are not renewed. Non-renewal and termination are not the same. When it comes to job orders, it's the same with casuals," the mayor stressed.

Based on the city's Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) data, Cebu City Hall has around 9,000 employees.

More than 4,000 are JOs, while 3,212 are casual employees, around 200 are co-terminus, 40-plus are contractual, and only 1,400 are regular employees.