On the campaign trail, candidate Trump promised to reduce the size of the federal government. “I’m going to cut so much your head will spin,” was the quotation that resonated through the press and through the ranks of federal employees during the first months of the administration. Despite a hiring freeze early on and some strong rhetoric about modernization, the changes to available federal jobs so far haven’t resulted in vertigo and spinning heads. In fact, they’ve seemed more like a change of hats.
Despite significant cuts ($54 billion) proposed in the Presidents 2018 budget, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 increased spending by $300 billion. The March spending bill included increased allocations to Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, but mostly ignored the deep cuts proposed for available federal jobs in the EPA, Interior, and domestic programs.
Depending on the statistics you prefer, the federal jobs available have either slightly increased or barely decreased in the first year of the new administration. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures (see the graph) indicate a slight decline in the number of total federal employees from 2,814,000 in January 2017 to 2,797,000 in the first month of government job openings this year.1 The administration’s own figures actually show minimal growth of 4800 executive branch positions, increasing from 2,057,300 in 2016 to 2,062,100 in 2017.2
Strengthening the Federal Workforce, an Appendix to the FY 2019 budget proposal, provides some indication of the administration’s priorities for spending and for new government positions. In terms of policy, the document is mostly a repeat of the previous year’s prescription, calling for streamlining and modernization of government, but projecting a 2019 increase in federal employment of 10,100 employees. Hiring for those federal jobs available is projected primarily among the security and defense-related agencies, but also at the Department of Commerce, which will be hiring in preparation for the 2020 census.
The chart below indicates federal agencies and departments with the largest projected civilian employment increases and decreases for the coming fiscal year:
In addition, employment growth is projected at some of the smaller government agencies, including the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration.
There’s no question that the government is hiring. The Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Fedscope database indicates 146,000 federal agency employees with tenure of less than one year in their current position.3 These certainly aren’t all new government job openings, but vacancies occur daily as current federal employees retire or change positions.
A quick check of USAJobs.gov indicates that there are federal jobs available with most agencies and departments. As of the date this article was written, there were 7,669 positions open to the public on the government’s hiring website, and 13,937 government job openings for current or previous federal employees. While positions are available within agencies targeted by the FY 2019 budget proposal, departments with the most jobs posted correspond closely to the administration’s priorities:
There are plenty of positions available at the Transportation Security Administration. The Commerce Department is beginning to hire managers and administrators for the upcoming census. There are even a few federal jobs available with the State Department, though most are reserved for current employees.
USAJobs also identifies high demand positions in the federal government. Currently, there’s a critical need for nurses (952 positions), IT professionals (592 positions), and HR administrators (279 openings). There are high paying government job openings, especially for VA physicians and skilled technicians. Currently there are 364 jobs listed that can pay over $300K per year.
Think There’s Life on Mars? There’s a NASA Job Just for You
There are 88 jobs open at NASA, including the Director of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) in California. SSERVI “enables world-class multi-disciplinary research pertinent to the science and human exploration of the Moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars.” The position is open to the public. Leadership and management skills are required, but you don’t have to be a research scientist.4 Equally interesting, if less challenging, USAJobs also lists 29 bartending positions.
Federal jobs aren’t going away. With hiring increases projected for the coming year, now is a good time to target a federal government position or to plan your next career move within government service. CareerPro Global can provide plenty of assistance with USAJobs resumes and federal career coaching.
Federal resumes can be complex, but the Master Career Advisors at CareerPro can offer extensive and valuable assistance when you identify an opportunity on USAJobs. Our Master Federal Resume Writers will work with you to create resume content and descriptions that accurately capture your experience and skills. Since 1986, CareerPro has helped over 65,000 clients with resumes and applications that lead to interviews and job offers.
We’d love to help you, too. Ready to get started? Contact CareerPro Global today for a free consultation.
Sources:
1Employment, Hours, and Earnings: Federal Government, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4/26/18.
2Strengthening the Federal Workforce, Appendix 7 to FY 2019 Budget, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, February 2018, p.69.
3U.S. Office of Personnel Management, FedScope Federal Human Resources Data, September 2017.
4Director, Solar System Exploration Virtual Institute, USAJobs, 4/26/18.