Job applications from federal workers, especially those who are employed at agencies targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have gone up significantly this year, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Indeed jobs site.
Applications from those working at such agencies as USAID, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the USDA — all of which have been heavily targeted by DOGE for dismissals — have surged more than 75% above the 2022 levels by February 2025.
The surge in applications from this generally well-educated and highly specialized segment of the workforce comes as job openings are muted nationwide, particularly for the types of knowledge worker positions that displaced federal employees are likely looking for in the market.
This influx of especially skilled and specialized workers is unfolding across the United States, raising disturbing questions about if and how local labor markets can absorb such a surge of job seekers.
With the exact number of federal workers who will end up unemployed unclear, due to some firings being tied up in court battles, it is still too early to determine what will be the broader impact on the national economy, according to Axios.
But Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed, did point out that there are fewer opportunities right now that match the education and experience of these workers, which is "creating a friction in the labor market." He added that there is real concern that the job market will not be able to absorb them all.
According to Pew, 31.5% of federal workers have at least a Bachelor's degree, but almost 70% of the those in agencies targeted by DOGE and active on Indeed in February had at least that level of education.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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