US Federal Workforce Hits Record as Musk ‘Buyout’ Offer Looms

Feb. 7, 2025, 6:15 PM UTC

The US government head count grew to its highest level in any non-census year since World War II in January, according to new figures released Friday, as President Donald Trump took office looking to cut one in 10 federal employees.

The number of civilian federal workers reached a seasonally adjusted 2.42 million last month, excluding postal workers. That’s according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report that showed health care, retail trade and government employment leading the way as the unemployment rate fell to 4%.

The federal workforce has grown 6.3% from when President Joe Biden took office in ...

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