U.S. federal workforce drops to a decade low

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The latest workforce data of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management show the government-wide staffing levels are at a decade low.

Accounting for hiring numbers, there has been a net loss of nearly 220,000 federal employees since January 2025, according to numbers released on Thursday.

As a result of U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign to shrink the government, the federal workforce experienced a significant reshaping in 2025, when the U.S. government shed well over 300,000 federal employees in 2025, impacting virtually all executive branch agencies.

Several lost more than a quarter of their staff, including the departments of Education, Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development, local media reported.

The Department of War, instead, employs the largest number of civilian federal employees. The other top five largest agencies include the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Treasury.

The U.S. federal government is the largest single employer in the United States, employing over two million civilian employees at present. The Office of Personnel Management serves as the chief human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the Federal Government.