In April, the number of U.S. government employees declined for the fourth straight month, with a decrease of about 8,500 non-fatal jobs. This downsizing seems to align with the goals of President Trump and advisor Elon Musk, who are both focused on significantly reducing the federal workforce.
According to a recent non-farm payroll report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, federal employment, excluding U.S. postal service jobs, has dropped by over 23,000 this year alone.
These figures position Trump as the most aggressive president regarding federal workforce cuts in recent history, surpassing even Ronald Reagan’s reduction of approximately 46,000 employees back in early 1981.
April also saw a drop of 9,000 in federal private sector jobs, bringing the total loss for 2025 to 26,000 jobs.
As per the White House, around 200,000 federal employees have been terminated since Trump assumed office. This drastic measure is part of his push for government efficiency, as noted in a recent media report.
Interestingly, over 75,000 federal workers opted for a buyout program, termed postponed retirement, although they will remain on the payroll until later this year.
Overall, the figure of federally employed individuals who have been either let go, bought out, or chosen early retirement exceeds 260,000, according to a tally from Reuters.
An online betting site, Kalshi, suggests that Trump and Musk might reduce around 300,000 federal jobs by the end of the year, from a total that was more than 2.4 million at last year’s close, according to BLS data.
