The government in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas says around 1200 public servants due to be given a month's leave without pay are likely to be told later this week.
The government is struggling amid an economic crisis and the legislature is now considering an alternative plan to shut public offices for one day a fortnight for the last two months of the financial year.
Notifications for the staff furloughs were due to go out last week and there have been media reports the scheme might be put off.
But the government spokesperson, Charles Reyes, says that is not the case and both money saving exercises might be needed.
"They want to portray it as an alternative, instead of having the furloughs going forward, they want to use that alternative instead but that may not be enough. So it might actually be better if we were to take advantage of both measures to enjoy the savings and to adhere to our constitutional requirement of retiring the deficit."
