US federal workforce drops to lowest level in at least a decade

Published Fri, Jan 9, 2026 · 06:55 AM

A woman, who worked at the US Department of Education leaves the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Centre, after the Trump administration began mass layoffs of thousands of employees, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS

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[WASHINGTON] The US federal workforce fell to the lowest level in at least a decade, according to government data published on Thursday, the result of President Donald Trump’s campaign to shrink the government.

The cuts hit nearly every major federal agency, according to the statistics from the Office of Personnel Management. Several lost more than a quarter of their staff, including the departments of Education, Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development.

The Department of Homeland Security is an exception, with headcount barely fluctuating after Trump took office.

The US government employs 2.1 million workers, according to the OPM statistics.

The federal government has long been seen as a stable employer, with staff commonly spending decades working inside US agencies.

Trump and his team sought to change that at the start of his second term, as he argued that the federal government was bloated and inefficient. Thursday’s figures showed the administration’s progress on that goal.

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A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. REUTERS

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