The federal workforce continued its downward trajectory through April 2026, with separations vastly outpacing new hires across the government. Since the start of 2025, federal agencies have brought on 171,293 new employees while processing 448,259 departures, resulting in a net loss of 276,966 positions.
The imbalance presents distinct challenges for both job seekers and federal recruiters. For those targeting government employment, the tight hiring relative to departures suggests limited opportunity for entry into the federal system. Recruiters, meanwhile, face the dual pressure of backfilling departing staff while managing workforce reductions, complicating long-term staffing strategies across agencies.
Deferred resignations—a category tracking employees who formally notified agencies of their intent to leave—account for 140,243 of the total separations, indicating that a significant portion of the workforce contraction reflects planned rather than unexpected attrition. This distinction offers agencies some ability to plan succession and transition work, though the volume suggests sustained pressure on retention.
The four-month data underscores a structural imbalance in federal labor flows that shows no signs of abating. With separations outpacing hires by a ratio of roughly 2.6 to one, the federal workforce is experiencing contraction at a pace that will likely strain operational capacity in agencies dependent on stable staffing levels.