What Happened to DOGE? Number of Government Jobs Surges

According to Thursday’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), government employment rose by 73,000 in the last month, making it the top contributor to the stronger-than-expected report. Health care followed with the addition of 39,000 jobs.

While government employment rose dramatically in June, the increase is unlikely to be tied to DOGE or any sudden rehiring by those agencies impacted by its actions. In its report, the BLS noted that this growth was led by state government employment increasing by 47,000, primarily in education (40,000), with local government education roles increasing by 23,000.

Meanwhile, employment in the federal government – where DOGE has been solely focused – declined by a further 7,000. Michael Conerly, Senior Portfolio Manager at Exencial Wealth Advisors told Newsweek that the increased educational jobs in June likely represented “a seasonal adjustment for hiring of teachers.”

According to the BLS, total job losses in the federal government this year have reached 69,000. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimates that the actions of DOGE have resulted in more than 280,000 planned layoffs this year, which includes both direct headcount reductions in the federal government, as well as the downstream impact of cancelled contracts and pulled funding for private-sector organizations.

Many of these workers have struggled to find employment since being dismissed from their roles. Those who spoke to Newsweek previously said they were experiencing a bottleneck in the labor market, with their highly specialized roles and talents having few equivalents in the private sector. Many also felt a stigma was attached to their past government employment which had weakened their job prospects.

Reports from the Washington Post and Bloomberg earlier this year found that many of those dismissed from the federal government had been seeking – or sought out for – similar roles at the state and local level.

According to Vanden Houten, DOGE-driven layoffs are likely to continue to impact jobs data throughout the year. She said that “about 75,000 federal workers” who accepted the deferred resignation offer from President Trump earlier this year will “drop off payrolls in October.”