Significant Cuts in Federal Employment Expected by 2025

The US government is set to experience its largest annual reduction in civil federal employment since World War II, with projections indicating a decrease of 300,000 positions by 2025.

Scott Kupor, the new Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), shared insights with various news outlets. According to a recent report, the federal workforce is anticipated to shrink from 2.4 million to 2.1 million employees, largely due to initiatives from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

During an interview with WTOP in Washington, DC, Kupor noted that nearly 80% of these cuts come from federal employees opting to seek other job opportunities while using alternative programs for employment.

“I think the team responsible for these decisions aimed to be as supportive as possible, allowing individuals ample time to transition to new roles,” Kupor stated.

He also mentioned that about 20% of the workers were let go, amounting to a total workforce decrease of approximately 12.5%, which reflects a drop of around 2.3 million employees.

The OPM functions similarly to a human resources department for the federal government.

Historically, significant cuts in the civilian federal workforce were made post-World War II by President Harry S. Truman, who reduced the workforce by 1.3 million members as the defense industry scaled back. Unlike Truman, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton implemented reductions over several years, but they also achieved drastic cuts, albeit at a slower pace compared to the current timeline under President Trump.

CNN has developed a tracker monitoring the employee reductions initiated by the Trump administration, noting that agencies like the United States Organization for International Development (USAID) let go of around 10,000 employees. Additionally, over 20,000 positions were cut or accepted retirements at the Department of Health and Human Services, while around 7,300 people were separated from the Internal Revenue Service.

Kupor indicated that there are currently no plans for further layoffs this year, as reported by Forbes.

Having transitioned from the private sector and confirmed in his role in July, Kupor previously worked as a managing partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

He acknowledged the serious implications of such workforce reductions, stating, “We fully understand that layoffs impact families, friends, and community contributions. It’s a challenging situation for everyone involved.”