Over 150,000 Federal Employees To Leave US Government Payroll In Largest Single-Year Exodus - Check Details

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Over 150,000 federal employees will exit the US government payroll this week after accepting buyouts. This represents the largest single-year departure of civil servants in almost 80 years, prompting concerns from unions and governance experts about a significant loss of institutional knowledge and expertise, according to a report by Reuters.

The official resignations will start on Tuesday for workers who chose to participate in a deferred exit programme that kept them on the payroll until September. The buyouts are a key part of US President Donald Trump's effort to reduce the federal workforce, combining financial incentives with threats of dismissal for those who rejected the offer.

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As per the federal government's HR office, several employees left agencies months ago and have effectively been on paid leave, the report said.

Don Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, stated that the most significant effect of this week's departure will be the brain drain of numerous experienced civil servants, a talent loss he believes will be difficult to recover.

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“It takes years to develop deep knowledge and expertise to deliver the government programs that these people run. Now much of the knowledge is walking out the door,” Moynihan told the news agency.

A dozen current and former government employees and union officials were quoted as saying that the disappearance of expertise is complicating many agencies' ability to perform their duties and serve the American public.

Adverse impact on government services

The buyouts have negatively affected various government activities such as weather forecasting, food safety, health programs, and space projects, the report said, citing people aware of the development.

Nearly 200 employees accepted buyouts at the National Weather Service, which resulted in a reduction of technical staff responsible for maintaining forecasting equipment and many seasoned meteorologists.

Jasmine Blackwell, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which manages the weather service, told Reuters that jobs were offered as needed“to ensure both the safety of Americans and the responsible use of taxpayer dollars”.

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Democratic former President Bill Clinton holds the record for the largest government employment reduction since World War II, achieved over his two presidential terms. During his time in office, he oversaw a decrease of more than 430,000 federal jobs, about 20 per cent.

Meanwhile, a booming economy and tech surge created over 22 million private-sector jobs during Clinton's presidency, and his reductions in the federal workforce had no noticeable impact on the overall job market.

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