About six per cent of the workforce could lose their jobs in the coming months.

The job cuts would not be extended to frontline workers, with the premier saying the government would “continue to invest in support at frontline services – teachers, nurses, police, crime and child protection”.

“This independent review is ensuring a laser-focus on every dollar of expenditure in the Victorian government’s budget, like households are focusing on every dollar that they spend, so too is the Victorian government,” she said.

The review will zero in on waste and inefficiency, with up to 3000 jobs expected to be cut, Symes confirmed.

“There will be some difficult decisions to make,” she said.

“This is about ensuring that our frontline services are protected, the critical services of government that Victorians rely on are supported and promoted, whilst identifying duplication, inefficiencies, overlap, and indeed, maybe some of those programs that have been around for say 20 years, that are just not meeting the needs of the Victorian community.”

The review will identify overlaps, inefficiencies, functions, and programs within the public service that can be streamlined or cut.

It will also produce recommendations to improve processes and reduce the public service to its pre-pandemic share of employment, including an examination of the appropriate levels of executives.

Interim recommendations will be delivered to the government in April, before the state budget is handed down on May 20.

The final report will be due on June 30.