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Job applications from federal workers are surging, especially from agencies facing scrutiny from Doge. According to new data from Indeed, applications from workers at federal agencies under Doge review surged by 50% in February. That's 75% higher than 2022 levels. Joining me now, we've got Allison Srivastava, who is the Indeed Economist. Great to have you here with us. The data showing that the job search behavior of federal workers has roughly followed the trends of the broader labor market over the past few years, but this is a different situation. Can you walk us through it?

Right, so we really wanted to understand the impact of Doge reviews on how workers with federal experience were approaching, you know, job hunt. And we we usually see a little bit of an uptick in applications for federal workers at the onset of a new administration, but nothing like this. 50% increase in a single month, and in particular, for those working with agencies under Doge review, is pretty substantial. It's definitely not something we've seen before.

And so what are some of the biggest things that workers are looking for as they go through the search process?

You know, this is a very particular subset of people. These are highly educated, they're more knowledge workers, and they're looking for jobs at a time when knowledge work is on the decline. Um, the majority of these job seekers live outside the DC area, so 80% live outside of DC. We like to think of federal workers as being really confined to that DC metro area, but it's definitely not the case. And the skills that these workers have are highly specialized. A lot of them are proficient in programming languages or um, policy analysts, you know, very specific subset of workers with very specific high skills that are entering public job market for the first time.

You mentioned job search activity for federal workers, it's happening across the country, not just the immediate area surrounding Washington DC. So what what other areas are you seeing that are witnessing some of the most activity?

So we actually found the highest surge of applications in the southern region, and that's minus the DC Metro area, so just the south minus DC Metro area. Texas is a big employer of federal workers, so is California, Georgia. So it's it's really not just confined to that, you know, DC Metro area, even though the concentration might be higher.

So how many of these job seekers do you anticipate ending up in and transitioning over to the private sector?

Yeah, that's a great question. So, you know, this is a good opportunity for state local governments, and I'm sure many will seek employment there, but just given the sheer volume of federal workers applying on Indeed site, I think a lot will end up in the private sector as well.

It's interesting. Are there any tips that you have for federal workers looking for jobs right now?

You know, definitely give yourself some grace. It's going to it's a lot to process, but as soon as you're able, really take time and assess your financial situation. So, the average time it takes to find a new job is about 15 weeks, but it may be longer for federal workers because a lot of them are knowledge workers and again, those are sectors that have just been in the decline um for a while now. So, I think prepare yourself for that. Um it's a great opportunity to do a career audit and really figure out what's important to you, where your priorities are. And I can never stress enough how powerful it is to leverage your network. Let others know that you're job searching, join professional groups, and really connect with people. I I think that goes a long way.

Some really great advice, Allison. Thanks so much for taking the time here with us.

Thank you for having me.