Federal employment has fallen by 277,000 under Trump

Published January 9, 2026 9:04am ET



The number of employees on the federal government’s payroll has dropped by 277,000 since President Donald Trump took office for his second term, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

The agency said in its monthly jobs report that federal employment was 2.738 million in November 2025, adjusted for seasonal variations, down from 3.015 million in January of that year.

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