Pennsylvania set out to hire federal workers amid the DOGE shake-up. Thousands have applied.
State agencies have hired 119 former federal workers, even amid a hiring freeze on federally funded positions.
Dozens of former federal workers have been hired by Pennsylvania state agencies in recent months.
Across 22 agencies, the state government has hired 119 people with federal work experience since March 5, said Daniel Egan, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Office of Administration. They include hires in the human services, transportation, and corrections departments.
As President Donald Trump’s administration strove to shrink and reshape the federal workforce, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order on March 5 making it easier for state-government employers to hire former federal workers. Since then, the state has received about 7,300 applications from roughly 3,300 people with work experience in the federal government.
“Former federal employees have valuable skills and experience that can benefit how we operate and serve the people of Pennsylvania,” Egan said. “The Shapiro administration is capitalizing on this opportunity to fill critical positions in our state agencies with dedicated and resourceful public servants who have proudly served our nation as federal employees and have skills we need in the commonwealth.”
Federal agencies laid off probationary employees earlier this year. Those workers were later required to be reinstated under federal court orders, but some were immediately placed on leave, stuck in professional limbo.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has indicated more layoffs are to come, and the federal government has offered employees a deferred resignation, by which they would leave their jobs and keep getting paid for several months. Workers across agencies have applied for that program, and some others are choosing retirement.
Pennsylvania offered a virtual job fair this week, geared toward federal workers.
“By tapping into their experience, we can strengthen our state government, continue serving the public effectively, and offer meaningful careers where people can truly make a difference,” Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver said in a statement last week.
Workers have been hired into 55 distinct jobs. They include the following titles, which have seen multiple hires:
Corrections Officer Trainee
Intermittent Liquor Store Clerk
Unemployment Compensation Claims Intake Interviewer
Clerical Assistant 2
Income Maintenance Caseworker
Despite the state’s efforts to recruit these workers, a hiring freeze was put into place as of April 10 for state positions that depended in part or in whole on federal funding. Agencies that want to fill these kinds of roles must obtain prior approval from the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget and the governor’s office.
Egan said Tuesday that the hiring freeze had not affected “the commonwealth’s ability to hire former federal workers.” It is still in effect, but not for roles that “provide direct care to patients, residents, and clients or that are deemed mission critical to agency operations,” Egan said.
The hiring freeze does not affect positions funded by state dollars, Egan noted, which are “the vast majority of commonwealth jobs.”
“As the governor said in March, this is not an act of charity, but rather a targeted recruitment initiative to make former federal workers aware of our job openings and how they might align to their prior experience,” Egan said.
As of Tuesday, 449 open roles were posted on Pennsylvania’s job listing website, down from nearly 600 on April 21. They include clinical dietitian, corrections officer, and seasonal ranger.