Thousands of federal workers are finding themselves in a tough spot as they face a spike in layoffs and legal uncertainty. A push to shrink the government during the Trump administration resulted in a mass of probationary employees being fired, with many later being told their dismissals were illegal.
Although some workers have been told they should be reinstated, the situation is now stuck in legal limbo as the decision is being appealed.
As these workers wait for court rulings, many are hitting the job market in full force, with applications rising fast. By the end of February, applications from workers at agencies targeted for layoffs — like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — to jobs on Indeed spiked by more than 50% compared to last year, according to The Washington Post.
But many federal workers aren’t even looking for new jobs yet — some are waiting for potential reinstatement or still collecting severance.
For those actively searching, however, the job market has been tough. Many of these workers have college degrees—around 70% of them, to be exact—but the demand for white-collar jobs has slowed down since the pandemic hit.
The workers who are still looking for new careers are facing a big decision: Do they try to wait for the job market to bounce back, or do they switch things up and learn new skills to stay competitive?
The job search is especially difficult for federal workers clustered in cities like Washington, D.C., where they make up a significant portion of the workforce.
