Europe's central banks start to reduce staff

The number of central bankers in the eurosystem stands at 52,321, a fall of 7% since the launch of the euro in 1999, reveals the 2005 edition of Central Banking Publications' Central Bank Directory. This is 4,129 fewer staff than the peak of 56,450 in 2001.

This still leaves the eurosystem with 17.1 staff per 100,000 population, over three times the global average of 5.6. There are estimated to be 352,080 central bankers worldwide. Within the eurosystem, France and Germany remain the most heav