Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc has stated that the number of employed workers in the public administration in 2010 was cut by more than 100 thousand workers, announcing that the process will continue in 2011.

“We set off in December 2008 with 1.397 million public employees, and at the end of November 2010 Romania had 1.274 million public staff, so this is a reform of the state aimed at adjusting the number of personnel to what this country can afford. We had to go through hardships for this accomplishment, but the country absolutely needed this,” Boc said at the national television broadcast.

The Romanian PM stated that the country must make savings to get out of the severe economic crisis.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi said that there are plans for the closing down of some consular offices in 2011, according to criteria of profitability, Romanian agency Agerpress reported Wednesday.

The Romanian government pledged to reduce the number of public employees to 1.29 million in order to fit into a wage pool of 39 billion lei in 2011, according to the loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the World Bank.