Inside the Rush to Recruit Federal Employees Dismissed by DOGE: Insights on America's Talent Hunt
Elon Musk's team has unexpectedly displaced thousands of federal employees, leading governors and mayors to view this as a unique opportunity to strengthen their workforce.
TroibNews 
In federal buildings, the arrival of DOGE has created a crisis. City halls and statehouses perceive it as an unprecedented opportunity. The question remains: who can seize this moment?
As Elon Musk’s team has unexpectedly placed thousands of federal employees on the job market, governors and mayors view this as a chance to strengthen their workforce. This has sparked a nationwide scramble for experienced talent ranging from park rangers to procurement officers, potentially reshaping the operations of state and local governments.
Nearly a dozen states have initiated specialized websites to promote available government positions to unemployed federal workers, with many organizing job fairs tailored specifically for them. Some states are accelerating their hiring processes to bypass bureaucratic delays, while others are launching advertising campaigns across social media and public transit, all reflecting a common theme: the federal government under President Donald Trump doesn’t care about you — but we do.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas recently decided to meet a federal employee in Union Station instead of engaging with Washington officials over coffee, hoping to attract the individual for a city role. Within days, the city expedited its hiring process to fill an open auditor position with a newly available top candidate: a former deputy assistant secretary of state who led the State Department’s arms-control compliance efforts.
“You've got people that are, in their industries, rock stars,” Lucas noted. “Our big pitch is, if you want to continue in public service, you don’t actually have to keep dealing with all the drama and the bullshit.”
However, local governments still face challenges in recruiting former federal employees. State jobs often offer significantly lower pay compared to Washington positions, compelling states to devise customized hiring packages and highlight additional benefits like paid family leave. The public sector isn’t the only arena vying for this talent; private companies are also eager to recruit those with federal experience.
This situation is pressing for state officials. The job losses spurred by DOGE are poised to destabilize state economies already grappling with budget deficits and the looming threat of a nationwide recession. As federal governance undergoes transformation and states rush to secure vital IRA and CHIPS Act funding, localities see competition for talent as a means to acquire advanced expertise and insights into the increasingly opaque operations of Washington.
“You really want to do your best to get the best people to come work for your state,” remarked former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “For these federal workers who have innate knowledge of working with the federal government, that’s invaluable.”
“DOGE said you’re fired? We say: you’re hired!” While many regarded January 20 with apprehension, Caitlin Lewis was confident that any change in administration would always lead to significant turnover in government staffing. She encountered this revolving door during her college days as a junior Agriculture Department staffer who humorously recalls organizing Cabinet members' visits to state fairs.
To capitalize on this cyclical turnover, Lewis founded her nonprofit, Work for America, aiming to assist local governments suffering from what she describes as a public sector staffing crisis. She recognized that states were struggling to fill their departments due to budget constraints and prolonged hiring practices that put them at a disadvantage competing with the private sector for talent. Above all, she wanted to keep federal employees engaged in public service.
Her career path serves as an example of what she believed was attainable. After her tenure in the Obama administration, Lewis transitioned to New York City Hall, where she worked on housing policy under Mayor Bill de Blasio.
One of Work for America’s initial projects after launching last September was Civic Match, a portal designed to connect job seekers with local government hiring managers.
“We were thinking a lot about the strategic recruitment function in government and how we could help state and local governments recruit more akin to the private sector and the military,” Lewis explained.
Then DOGE entered the scene. Beginning the week of Trump’s inauguration, Musk and his team began eliminating thousands of federal jobs through firings and buyouts, while driving others to leave due to an increasingly stressful work environment.
Civic Match experienced an influx of résumés from civil servants, who typically remain in their positions across multiple administrations. Before Trump’s inauguration, 8 percent of résumés on the platform were from civil servants, while the remainder consisted of other federal worker categories like contractors or campaign staff. Since then, civil servants have constituted 66 percent of applicants.
In recent weeks, more than 3,000 federal employees have registered on the site, with over 190 in various stages of hiring processes with local governments. The majority of job seekers hail from offices directly affected by DOGE: USAID and the departments of Health and Human Services, State, Education, and Homeland Security.
Civic Match is no longer the sole avenue through which federal workers can discover public sector opportunities. Additionally, various states have established their own websites to advertise open positions and report significant traffic increases for these government job resources. Massachusetts’ “FedUp” website, launched in early March, has received over 20,000 views and generated 110,000 impressions on LinkedIn.
Other states are streamlining their hiring processes to simplify the onboarding of new recruits. In Pennsylvania, which is looking to fill 540 positions statewide, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order earlier this month to adjust how the state recognizes work experience, equating federal service years with state government tenure.
“As Governor Shapiro has made clear, this undertaking is not an act of charity," stated Daniel Egan, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Office of Administration. “This is an opportunity to take advantage of the availability of experience and talent to potentially fill critical vacancies we have here in the Commonwealth.”
Through the “Operation Hire Hawaii” initiative, Gov. Josh Green issued a mid-February directive requiring state agencies to extend conditional job offers within two weeks of receiving candidates’ applications, particularly focusing on attracting IT and cybersecurity specialists exiting the federal workforce. The state claims to have received over 1,000 applications for open roles since launching the initiative.
“I don't think we could have ever imagined the volume of need that was going to occur post-January 20,” said Lewis, who has been assisting states in organizing job fairs and producing promotional videos to highlight why workers should consider relocating to their cities.
New York is marketing its “New York Helps” program to recruit workers similarly to a tourism campaign, encouraging potential applicants to explore “the ten beautiful regions of our state.” The state is working to fill 7,000 vacancies across its government, with particular needs for healthcare workers, attorneys, and investigators, employing eye-catching advertisements to attract candidates.
Weary Washington commuters exiting the Union Station metro stop encounter advertisements that boldly claim, “DOGE said you’re fired? We say: you’re hired!” In Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, ads in the ticketed waiting area similarly declare, “New York wants you!”
“As soon as a day or so after the governor really started this campaign, I started getting hits on my personal LinkedIn and Facebook pages,” remarked New York Department of Civil Service Commissioner Timothy Hogues, who has joined Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Cabinet members in numerous interviews with potential candidates.
The ad campaign centered on D.C. positions places New York in direct competition with neighboring states hardest hit by DOGE’s cuts. In Maryland, where federal employees make up six percent of residents, Gov. Wes Moore is attempting to transform former federal workers into public school teachers by encouraging them to obtain alternative teaching licenses in a matter of months.
While many job seekers on Civic Match focus on areas around Washington, or major cities like New York and San Francisco, Lewis has been collaborating with smaller cities—including Allentown, Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; and Kansas City—to enhance their visibility and attract workers, persuading them that they are not obligated to establish permanent roots there.
“This opportunity for somebody to kind of treat this like a sabbatical from their federal job is really neat,” said Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk. “There’s people who can come work for two or three years, make a really significant impact in a place that maybe hasn't gotten a lot of love in the past for employment.”
By early March, as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz launched a career help landing page containing job listings and unemployment insurance information for ex-federal workers, the firings had been accumulating for nearly a month, with indications from the White House suggesting more were forthcoming. In St. Paul, state officials were particularly concerned about how cuts to Veterans Affairs could adversely affect services at the department’s clinics in St. Cloud and Minneapolis, which collectively employ close to 7,000 workers.
With 18,000 federal employees in the state, Walz reacted to the news of DOGE in a manner similar to how states respond to corporate announcements of mass layoffs. He instructed his workforce development department to assist displaced workers across sectors in securing new employment opportunities, whether in state government or elsewhere.
In addition to providing online resources for open positions and details on filing unemployment claims, the department has opened its 50 offices for in-person career counseling.
“In offices from Rochester to Detroit Lakes, case workers sit down with unemployed Minnesotans to perfect resumes, practice job interviews and discuss career opportunities,” explained Matt Varilek, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
“We have really tried to roll out the welcome mat, rhetorically speaking and in concrete ways, for federal workers who have been displaced,” Varilek added. “These are publicly minded individuals who are interested in service and helping make the world a better place, and who have great talents. And frankly, are being treated badly by their current employer. Here in Minnesota, we have a different view.”
Similar approaches are being urged by officials in other states as they hope their governors will take proactive measures. Nevada state lawmakers are encouraging Gov. Joe Lombardo to develop a federal hiring strategy, “especially since our unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation,” said Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager.
However, there are bounds to how much any state can assist. Minnesota’s financial situation, characterized by a $6 billion budget deficit, has already led Walz to propose significant cuts, casting doubt on extensive hiring initiatives. The nation also faces the prospects of a recession that could freeze hiring in both public and private sectors.
“The idea that these federal workers are all going to go work for state government is a fallacy,” cautioned McAuliffe. “You just don't have the capacity you want to bring in great, skilled workers.”
Even when there are open positions, discrepancies in salaries between federal and state jobs often require those hiring for state posts to ask candidates to accept lower pay. Consequently, they focus on promoting non-financial benefits, from flexible work-from-home arrangements to traditional civil service protections.
“These individuals will have built-in protection,” Hogues, New York’s civil service commissioner, pointed out. “So the stuff that has happened to them on the federal level wouldn't be something that would happen on the state level.”
While federal salaries can vary greatly based on experience, the average pay across the entire federal workforce is $106,382 annually, according to Pew Research. In contrast, the average salary for Minnesota state workers is approximately $83,000 per year.
“This is not red apples to red apples,” said Paul DeBettignies, who operates a headhunting firm in Minnesota. “Federal workers can do specialized work, and their challenge will be to find something that is comparable."
Anna Muller for TROIB News
As Elon Musk’s team has unexpectedly placed thousands of federal employees on the job market, governors and mayors view this as a chance to strengthen their workforce. This has sparked a nationwide scramble for experienced talent ranging from park rangers to procurement officers, potentially reshaping the operations of state and local governments.
Nearly a dozen states have initiated specialized websites to promote available government positions to unemployed federal workers, with many organizing job fairs tailored specifically for them. Some states are accelerating their hiring processes to bypass bureaucratic delays, while others are launching advertising campaigns across social media and public transit, all reflecting a common theme: the federal government under President Donald Trump doesn’t care about you — but we do.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas recently decided to meet a federal employee in Union Station instead of engaging with Washington officials over coffee, hoping to attract the individual for a city role. Within days, the city expedited its hiring process to fill an open auditor position with a newly available top candidate: a former deputy assistant secretary of state who led the State Department’s arms-control compliance efforts.
“You've got people that are, in their industries, rock stars,” Lucas noted. “Our big pitch is, if you want to continue in public service, you don’t actually have to keep dealing with all the drama and the bullshit.”
However, local governments still face challenges in recruiting former federal employees. State jobs often offer significantly lower pay compared to Washington positions, compelling states to devise customized hiring packages and highlight additional benefits like paid family leave. The public sector isn’t the only arena vying for this talent; private companies are also eager to recruit those with federal experience.
This situation is pressing for state officials. The job losses spurred by DOGE are poised to destabilize state economies already grappling with budget deficits and the looming threat of a nationwide recession. As federal governance undergoes transformation and states rush to secure vital IRA and CHIPS Act funding, localities see competition for talent as a means to acquire advanced expertise and insights into the increasingly opaque operations of Washington.
“You really want to do your best to get the best people to come work for your state,” remarked former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “For these federal workers who have innate knowledge of working with the federal government, that’s invaluable.”
“DOGE said you’re fired? We say: you’re hired!” While many regarded January 20 with apprehension, Caitlin Lewis was confident that any change in administration would always lead to significant turnover in government staffing. She encountered this revolving door during her college days as a junior Agriculture Department staffer who humorously recalls organizing Cabinet members' visits to state fairs.
To capitalize on this cyclical turnover, Lewis founded her nonprofit, Work for America, aiming to assist local governments suffering from what she describes as a public sector staffing crisis. She recognized that states were struggling to fill their departments due to budget constraints and prolonged hiring practices that put them at a disadvantage competing with the private sector for talent. Above all, she wanted to keep federal employees engaged in public service.
Her career path serves as an example of what she believed was attainable. After her tenure in the Obama administration, Lewis transitioned to New York City Hall, where she worked on housing policy under Mayor Bill de Blasio.
One of Work for America’s initial projects after launching last September was Civic Match, a portal designed to connect job seekers with local government hiring managers.
“We were thinking a lot about the strategic recruitment function in government and how we could help state and local governments recruit more akin to the private sector and the military,” Lewis explained.
Then DOGE entered the scene. Beginning the week of Trump’s inauguration, Musk and his team began eliminating thousands of federal jobs through firings and buyouts, while driving others to leave due to an increasingly stressful work environment.
Civic Match experienced an influx of résumés from civil servants, who typically remain in their positions across multiple administrations. Before Trump’s inauguration, 8 percent of résumés on the platform were from civil servants, while the remainder consisted of other federal worker categories like contractors or campaign staff. Since then, civil servants have constituted 66 percent of applicants.
In recent weeks, more than 3,000 federal employees have registered on the site, with over 190 in various stages of hiring processes with local governments. The majority of job seekers hail from offices directly affected by DOGE: USAID and the departments of Health and Human Services, State, Education, and Homeland Security.
Civic Match is no longer the sole avenue through which federal workers can discover public sector opportunities. Additionally, various states have established their own websites to advertise open positions and report significant traffic increases for these government job resources. Massachusetts’ “FedUp” website, launched in early March, has received over 20,000 views and generated 110,000 impressions on LinkedIn.
Other states are streamlining their hiring processes to simplify the onboarding of new recruits. In Pennsylvania, which is looking to fill 540 positions statewide, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order earlier this month to adjust how the state recognizes work experience, equating federal service years with state government tenure.
“As Governor Shapiro has made clear, this undertaking is not an act of charity," stated Daniel Egan, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Office of Administration. “This is an opportunity to take advantage of the availability of experience and talent to potentially fill critical vacancies we have here in the Commonwealth.”
Through the “Operation Hire Hawaii” initiative, Gov. Josh Green issued a mid-February directive requiring state agencies to extend conditional job offers within two weeks of receiving candidates’ applications, particularly focusing on attracting IT and cybersecurity specialists exiting the federal workforce. The state claims to have received over 1,000 applications for open roles since launching the initiative.
“I don't think we could have ever imagined the volume of need that was going to occur post-January 20,” said Lewis, who has been assisting states in organizing job fairs and producing promotional videos to highlight why workers should consider relocating to their cities.
New York is marketing its “New York Helps” program to recruit workers similarly to a tourism campaign, encouraging potential applicants to explore “the ten beautiful regions of our state.” The state is working to fill 7,000 vacancies across its government, with particular needs for healthcare workers, attorneys, and investigators, employing eye-catching advertisements to attract candidates.
Weary Washington commuters exiting the Union Station metro stop encounter advertisements that boldly claim, “DOGE said you’re fired? We say: you’re hired!” In Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, ads in the ticketed waiting area similarly declare, “New York wants you!”
“As soon as a day or so after the governor really started this campaign, I started getting hits on my personal LinkedIn and Facebook pages,” remarked New York Department of Civil Service Commissioner Timothy Hogues, who has joined Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Cabinet members in numerous interviews with potential candidates.
The ad campaign centered on D.C. positions places New York in direct competition with neighboring states hardest hit by DOGE’s cuts. In Maryland, where federal employees make up six percent of residents, Gov. Wes Moore is attempting to transform former federal workers into public school teachers by encouraging them to obtain alternative teaching licenses in a matter of months.
While many job seekers on Civic Match focus on areas around Washington, or major cities like New York and San Francisco, Lewis has been collaborating with smaller cities—including Allentown, Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; and Kansas City—to enhance their visibility and attract workers, persuading them that they are not obligated to establish permanent roots there.
“This opportunity for somebody to kind of treat this like a sabbatical from their federal job is really neat,” said Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk. “There’s people who can come work for two or three years, make a really significant impact in a place that maybe hasn't gotten a lot of love in the past for employment.”
By early March, as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz launched a career help landing page containing job listings and unemployment insurance information for ex-federal workers, the firings had been accumulating for nearly a month, with indications from the White House suggesting more were forthcoming. In St. Paul, state officials were particularly concerned about how cuts to Veterans Affairs could adversely affect services at the department’s clinics in St. Cloud and Minneapolis, which collectively employ close to 7,000 workers.
With 18,000 federal employees in the state, Walz reacted to the news of DOGE in a manner similar to how states respond to corporate announcements of mass layoffs. He instructed his workforce development department to assist displaced workers across sectors in securing new employment opportunities, whether in state government or elsewhere.
In addition to providing online resources for open positions and details on filing unemployment claims, the department has opened its 50 offices for in-person career counseling.
“In offices from Rochester to Detroit Lakes, case workers sit down with unemployed Minnesotans to perfect resumes, practice job interviews and discuss career opportunities,” explained Matt Varilek, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
“We have really tried to roll out the welcome mat, rhetorically speaking and in concrete ways, for federal workers who have been displaced,” Varilek added. “These are publicly minded individuals who are interested in service and helping make the world a better place, and who have great talents. And frankly, are being treated badly by their current employer. Here in Minnesota, we have a different view.”
Similar approaches are being urged by officials in other states as they hope their governors will take proactive measures. Nevada state lawmakers are encouraging Gov. Joe Lombardo to develop a federal hiring strategy, “especially since our unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation,” said Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager.
However, there are bounds to how much any state can assist. Minnesota’s financial situation, characterized by a $6 billion budget deficit, has already led Walz to propose significant cuts, casting doubt on extensive hiring initiatives. The nation also faces the prospects of a recession that could freeze hiring in both public and private sectors.
“The idea that these federal workers are all going to go work for state government is a fallacy,” cautioned McAuliffe. “You just don't have the capacity you want to bring in great, skilled workers.”
Even when there are open positions, discrepancies in salaries between federal and state jobs often require those hiring for state posts to ask candidates to accept lower pay. Consequently, they focus on promoting non-financial benefits, from flexible work-from-home arrangements to traditional civil service protections.
“These individuals will have built-in protection,” Hogues, New York’s civil service commissioner, pointed out. “So the stuff that has happened to them on the federal level wouldn't be something that would happen on the state level.”
While federal salaries can vary greatly based on experience, the average pay across the entire federal workforce is $106,382 annually, according to Pew Research. In contrast, the average salary for Minnesota state workers is approximately $83,000 per year.
“This is not red apples to red apples,” said Paul DeBettignies, who operates a headhunting firm in Minnesota. “Federal workers can do specialized work, and their challenge will be to find something that is comparable."
Anna Muller for TROIB News
Find more stories on Business, Economy and Finance in TROIB business
