New Challenges for Civil Servants
You’ve undoubtedly heard the news that many civil service jobs are on the chopping block for elimination. Civil service jobs have been relatively immune from the factors that affect the private sector and its job market for decades. It is not uncommon for someone to spend their entire career in a government job, retiring with a full pension. However, the new administration is pushing forward with plans to remake the civil service. It could be a dramatic rethink of how the federal government classifies and protects its senior executives.
On January 28, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent nearly all of its 3 million employees an email offering deferred resignations and warning that they may be laid off or reassigned if they choose to stay. The goal is to cut 75% of the federal workforce to improve government efficiency. The offer is available to all federal workers except for postal and military service members and “those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security.” This attempt to cut federal workers regardless of their titles has sparked alarm for its potential impact on the range of services these agencies provide.
The vast majority of the more than 2.2 million federal government employees are career civil servants who are hired on merit and serve the government as a whole. Civil service positions do not terminate at the end of an administration, and civil servants can only be fired for cause. However, this executive order creates a new, much larger category of federal employees called “Schedule Policy/Career,” who would not have the typical protections enjoyed by civil servants and can be fired at will. By deeming anyone involved in “policy” as part of this new category, the pool of people that could potentially be fired expands enormously because nearly everyone in government touches policy in one way or another. However, it is important to note that civil servants do not make policy. Their job is to implement and enforce policy.
Some significant concerns about this new policy include the following:
Adding so many people to the unemployment rolls could be a significant issue. Are states ready to bear the cost? Consider the impact on local businesses—shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and other services—that rely on these federal employees as customers. Job losses will inevitably extend beyond the federal workforce.
There will be significant strain on the healthcare system in the US if there is a mass reduction in the civil service workforce.
Who will perform these jobs and deliver the services that Americans rely on? Will everything grind to a halt? Or will these be positions that are unnecessary?
There don’t seem to be any plans to help these displaced employees find new jobs. Will the economy be able to absorb them?
Of course, as is the American way, there is already pending litigation from government labor unions, which will protract a delay in any of this coming to fruition. While I am certain that some federal jobs will be cut, I am skeptical that it could be 75% of them. Americans rely on federal workers to make the system, despite its flaws, work for the American people. However, if you are a civil servant, my best advice is to prepare yourself. If you haven’t updated your resume in years, now is the time. Private sector resumes differ from those used for federal jobs, so be sure that you adjust yours accordingly. This would also be a good time to ensure that your interviewing skills are up to date and that you have a network of people who can help you in the event of a job loss. Although this is a period of confusion and uncertainty, being prepared is never bad.
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