Many lawmakers, think tanks and others have suggested that the federal workforce is too bloated and has increased dramatically in recent years. But a new report by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association suggests otherwise.
The report, which is based on U.S. Census Bureau data, shows that the size of the federal workforce has actually decreased by more than 200,000 employees since 1990, when President George H.W. Bush was in the oval office.
The biggest decreases in federal jobs were in Washington, D.C., which saw a drop of 166,222 jobs since 1990. Other states that have also been affected by the unemployment crisis, like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and California, also have seen federal job losses in the past 20 years. It's important to note, though, that the losses are not necessarily due to layoffs; the bulk of the losses are likely due to retirements, attrition, etc.
Other states, like North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and Florida, have upped the number of jobs by the thousands since 2001, NARFE found.
Some Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would reduce the workforce even further in the coming years. Most notably, the Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act (H.R. 2114), introduced in June by Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Dennis Ross, R-Fla., and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, would allow the government to hire only one new employee for every three who leave until a 10 percent overall reduction in the federal workforce is met.
Federal job losses could become even more of an issue in the coming years, however, if the so-called wave of federal retirements that many experts have long predicted finally takes off.
Has your federal office been affected by job losses in recent years? How has it impacted your workload, productivity and morale?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
By using this service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Nextgov does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.