Federal workers at government agencies facing scrutiny by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are increasingly looking for other options in the job market, according to a new report.
The Indeed Hiring Lab found that job applications submitted by workers at federal agencies facing reviews by DOGE increased by 50% in February, ending the month 75% above their 2022 levels.
Such federal agencies include the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), among others.
“While it is fairly common to see a slight uptick in this activity amongst federal workers after most presidential inaugurations, the recent surge in job search activity is unprecedented,” the Indeed Hiring Lab wrote. “Corresponding rises of this magnitude did not occur after the 2016 or 2020 presidential elections.”
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Job seekers employed by federal agencies in February were searching for jobs with flexible work arrangements, as the terms “remote,” “remote work from home” and “work for home” represented a combined 3.2% of their searches on Indeed.
They were also looking for roles that are “part-time” and “hiring immediately” — each represented 1.5% of searches.
“It might be tempting to attribute job seekers’ desire for remote work to the Trump administration’s push to get workers back in the office. But searches from federal workers for those terms were more popular a year ago, accounting for about 3.9% of such searches in February 2024,” Indeed noted. “Similarly, many of the other popular terms this year were also present in the most frequently used searches last year as well, suggesting that their enduring popularity is likely not (yet) attributable to any specific change in policy.”
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The fastest-growing search term among federal workers on Indeed was “horticulture,” which was searched 27 times more frequently in February 2025 than in the same month a year ago.
Other job titles used commonly in the federal government showed a notable increase from a year ago: searches for “employee relations” occurred 13 times more frequently, while there were 10 times more searches for “policy analyst” than last year.
Indeed noted that uptick in searches for horticulture is “likely a reflection of displaced USDA workers seeking specialized roles.” It also observed that employee relations searches “may represent a segment of the federal workforce whose jobs were or are focused on the kind of diversity, equity & inclusion programs the Administration has sought to eliminate.”
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The report said that an influx of displaced federal workers into the labor market could prove challenging as employers face uncertainty in sectors that rely on “knowledge workers” with advanced education, which have less demand for such workers at this time, though those workers could find work in similar roles.
“A dynamic, growing economy — especially one facing a looming shortage of skilled workers in various fields ranging from healthcare to engineering — will likely be able to absorb those workers in due time with limited disruption,” Indeed wrote. “Employers with longstanding and/or difficult-to-fill vacancies, not to mention understaffed state and/or local government agencies that may perform similar functions as their federal counterparts, may yet welcome this influx of candidates.”
“Ultimately, the overall job market’s ability to absorb cuts will depend largely on the types of jobs workers are looking for and a rebound in employer hiring and confidence,” it concluded.
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