Management
OPM implements years-in-the-making update to federal hiring process
The "rule of many" aims to give federal hiring managers more information and choices as they evaluate job candidates.
Workforce
Shortly after laying off hundreds, State hires new class of foreign service staff
The hiring-firing combination is "the definition of wasteful government spending,” according to one staffer.
Management
DOJ to grant itself authority to tap any attorney to serve as an immigration judge
The Trump administration is exerting more control over the immigration system as it erases existing standards for individuals who preside over cases during potentially unlimited six-month stints.
Workforce
Trump orders new federal hiring to fight crime in U.S. cities
The president tasked agencies with creating a new, specialized unit to focus on public safety.
Workforce
Lawmakers look to ease educational requirements for federal cyber workforce
New legislation from Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, attempts to expand the U.S. government’s pool of cyber talent by promoting skills-based hiring.
Special Report
Workforce
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill funds an unprecedented surge in federal law enforcement. Is it even possible?
Administration officials express confidence they can transform federal agencies with record-level hiring, even as they remain realistic about the challenge ahead of them.
Workforce
Trump administration cuts age limits for ICE agent recruits
The Homeland Security Department is using a recent funding infusion to hire more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with the goal of deporting more migrants.
Workforce
The Forest Service claims it’s fully staffed for a worsening fire season. Data shows thousands of unfilled jobs
DOGE cuts and voluntary resignations have severely hampered the agency as the nation enters the peak of fire season, with more than 1 million acres burning across 10 Western states.
Workforce
Census has long struggled with staffing shortages. Employees say Trump is making it worse
Voluntary separation incentives and the government hiring freeze have left remaining staff on the hook with more work.
Workforce
The U.S. DOGE Service is still hiring
The hires are intended to fill what used to be the U.S. Digital Service after many employees there left or were laid off.
Workforce
Trump's pick to lead NOAA pledges to restaff weather service
Nominee says he would work to undo the workforce cuts from the last few months, though the process could take time.
Workforce
Trump extends hiring freeze for 3 more months
Most agencies will now face a moratorium on hiring at least through mid-October after Trump issues his third freeze order.
Workforce
OPM deemphasizes ‘favorite EO’ essay following legal challenge
A quietly circulated memo from the federal government's HR agency warns hiring managers against using the essay responses as a "ideological litmus test" for job applicants.
Workforce
Indeed: Job applications from feds level out after initial surge, but risks persist
The job search website also reported that major federal contractors are posting fewer openings, hurting opportunities for former civil servants looking for new work.
Workforce
Who should the government trust? Now’s your chance to weigh in
COMMENTARY | A new OPM rule would give agencies more power to remove employees deemed untrustworthy—part of a bigger shift toward a single, risk-based vetting system.
Workforce
National Parks scramble to fill top leadership positions, but fix could create more vacancies
The agency is also struggling to recruit staff for front-line positions as the parks hit their busiest season.
Workforce
OPM’s new performance management rules are (mostly) spot on
COMMENTARY | OPM’s new performance management rules aim to end inflated ratings and eliminate pass-fail systems—but do they go too far in prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach?
Workforce
The Trump hiring plan wants to fix federal jobs, but it might just make things worse
COMMENTARY | The administration’s new approach promises faster, fairer hiring. But with old-school rules and political essay tests, it could actually make the process harder for everyone. There is another, better way.
Workforce
Employee groups challenge ‘favorite EO’ question as agencies begin rollout
Experts warn that the Trump administration’s new essay questionnaire for most federal job applicants amount to a litmus test to politicize agency hiring.
Workforce