Job applications from federal workers have surged since the start of the year, especially from workers in those agencies first to come under review by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as part of a broader Trump Administration effort to shrink the size of the federal government. The surge in applications from this generally well-educated and highly specialized segment of the workforce comes as growth in job openings remains muted overall, particularly for the kinds of knowledge worker roles likely to be sought by displaced federal workers. 

Line chart titled “Applications are surging from agencies under DOGE review, Jan 2022 to Feb 2025.” The graph has a vertical axis ranging from 75 to 175 representing an index that measures the number of applications started by job seekers with federal experience in February 2025. Two lines are visible on the graph. One line shows that applications have picked up modestly for all federal workers (excluding postal workers), but have skyrocketed for workers in agencies under DOGE review. 
Line chart titled “Applications are surging from agencies under DOGE review, Jan 2022 to Feb 2025.” The graph has a vertical axis ranging from 75 to 175 representing an index that measures the number of applications started by job seekers with federal experience in February 2025. Two lines are visible on the graph. One line shows that applications have picked up modestly for all federal workers (excluding postal workers), but have skyrocketed for workers in agencies under DOGE review. 

Indeed’s data on website behavior and our pool of hundreds of millions of job seeker profiles gives us a highly unique, timely, and anonymized* view into federal workers’ job search behavior. Hiring Lab is actively monitoring how federal workers are responding to these cost-cutting initiatives, the work skills and experiences that make them unique, where they are located, and the potential ability of local labor markets to absorb and re-deploy them. We will continue to add to this body of work as new research questions arise and more details on the ultimate size and scope of federal restructurings become clearer. Each piece in our series is linked below:

Job Applications From Federal Workers Are Surging — Especially From Agencies Under DOGE Scrutiny

Absorbing displaced federal workers and contractors may prove challenging for the job market, especially in knowledge-work sectors where employer demand remains low.

What Indeed Data Says About Federal Employees Looking for Work

A growing number of highly educated and specialized federal workers are actively seeking new opportunities.

From Maryland to Texas: Where Federal Workers Are Looking for New Jobs

A spike in job searches from federal employees is unfolding nationwide, raising questions about if/how local labor markets can absorb an influx of often highly specialized job seekers.

*On data privacy: To protect workers’ personal information, all datasets are stripped of identifying information, including names and addresses. Results are only reported in an aggregated format. Analysis and data review are also performed to ensure that data points cannot be tied back to individuals. For these analyses, we identified active job seekers who listed the federal government as their current or (newly) former employer. We then grouped them by their highest listed education level, skills, job titles, and current/former department or agency. United States Postal Service workers were excluded to allow for comparisons with Office of Personnel Management and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.