Indiana state departments see position cuts

INDIANAPOLIS — More than 100 positions at various state agencies are being cut to account for a more than $2 billion state budget shortfall.

Officials with the Indiana Office of Commerce and the Indiana Department of Education confirmed with FOX59/CBS4 that positions were being trimmed from both entities.

According to officials with the Indiana Office of Commerce, the office has reduced 49 positions since January 2025 “to align more closely with Governor Braun’s strategic goals and the Office of Commerce’s new budget.”

“The majority of these positions were eliminated due to natural employee attrition,” the statement read. “However, this week, 12 of those positions were eliminated through a reduction in workforce.”

Officials said this reduction included:

• Eight from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Three from the Indiana Destination Development Corporation
• One from the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet.

In total, 89 employees remain at the IEDC and eight remain at the IDDC, the statement read. The reduction is expected to save more than $7.4 million in annual savings.

At the Indiana Department of Education, several employees were notified on Tuesday of a reduction in force, including:

• Commission for Higher Education – Three employees impacted
• Department of Education – Six employees impacted
• School for the Deaf – 14 employees impacted
• State Library – 16 employees impacted.

A statement from the Indiana Department of Education states that an additional 43 positions will remain unfilled, saving around $6.9 million in salary and benefits.

“This is not something that was taken lightly, and we are grateful for the work of each of these colleagues to serve our agencies and Hoosiers,” the statement read. “Each agency’s unique budget and respective reductions determined the staffing adjustments needed. When possible, agencies prioritized not filling vacant positions, as well as leveraging other funding streams, rather than reducing current staffing levels.”