More than 28,000 council jobs across Scotland have been cut in the last seven years, according to new figures.
A total of 28,142 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs have been axed by cash-strapped councils since 2010.
Trade unions said local services are “bearing the brunt of austerity" amid fears authorities are poised to shrink even further.
In Glasgow, almost 3,000 jobs have been lost since 2010, while 1,044 were cut from the City of Edinburgh.
Only two out of the 32 Scottish authorities – Aberdeenshire and Orkney – grew in size.
Dave Watson, head of policy and public affairs at Unison Scotland, said: “These job losses highlight the cuts on local government, which impact on both services to the public and the local economy."
Pat Rafferty, the Scottish secretary for the Unite trade union, added: “These figures are staggering.
"They show that local government workers have paid the price for the financial crisis which was not of their making."
It is estimated that councils face a £150million shortfall under the Scottish Government’s draft budget for next year, on top of rising costs.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “Like any other public body, the council’s budgets have been under pressure during the last decade.
“One of the ways this has been managed is by reducing the wage bill, while avoiding compulsory redundancies.”
Highland councillor Carolyn Caddick, economy spokeswoman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: “The Scottish Government has squeezed local government and stripped them of powers for years.
“This situation is only going to get worse as Derek Mackay has promised council workers a pay rise but not provided the money to pay them any extra.
“Derek Mackay’s budget claims don’t add up as they rely on lumping capital spending on top of revenue to bamboozle the public into thinking that councils can pay their workers with bricks and mortar.
“Unless the government changes its plans they will be forcing councils to cut public services to pay their workers the wages they deserve or cut back even more on the number of staff they employ and the services they provide.”
Scottish Labour communities spokeswoman Monica Lennon MSP said: “These are deeply troubling figures that show the human cost of SNP cuts.
“More than a thousand council jobs have been lost in Aberdeen and the Highlands since the SNP came to power, cuts forced on Scotland’s most vulnerable communities by a government that is supposed to protect them.
“The SNP has cut more than £1.5billion from local government since 2011 - and plans even further cuts in the coming year.
“Scotland will not tackle poverty and inequality while the SNP is delivering such devastating cuts to lifeline services.
“Scottish Labour would use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to deliver real change, protect jobs and invest in lifeline services.”
A COSLA spokesman said: “In terms of a reduction in the workforce it is fair to say that local government has suffered more than its share of the pain.
“In addition, funding of councils has reduced, year-on-year for some considerable time, at a time when our costs and demand for services continues to increase... It’s simply not sustainable."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “While the recruitment of staff is clearly a matter for local authorities, council workers continue to benefit from the Scottish Government’s no compulsory redundancy policy – and we are the only government in the UK to give that guarantee.
“Despite the UK Government’s cuts to the Scottish budget, we have continued to treat local government very fairly."
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