Out of work with USAID as a result of a mass overhaul of federal agencies, a former contractor in the Philadelphia area recently applied to a job with the state of Pennsylvania, eager to use their government work experience as Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration encouraged laid-off federal workers to apply.
This month, however, the worker said they learned that state job is no longer being filled. The reason, they were told, was a “hiring freeze,” said the worker, who spoke to The Inquirer on the basis of anonymity so as to not jeopardize their job prospects.
While Shapiro’s administration has publicly opened its arms to take in federal government workers, it’s also facing the reality that thousands of state positions are federally funded and could be affected by cuts by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
» READ MORE: For Philly’s remaining federal employees, work evokes anxiety, guilt, resentment
As of April 10, “agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction must seek prior approval before hiring personnel into positions that are funded in whole or in part by federal dollars,” said Daniel Egan, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Office of Administration. “Agencies that want to fill a position that is not exempt from the hiring freeze must obtain prior approval from the Office of the Budget and the Governor’s Office.”
Some positions are excluded from the freeze, including those that “provide direct care of patients, residents, and clients and positions deemed to be mission critical to agency operations,” Egan said.
At least 7,800 state jobs are funded partially or in full by federal dollars, said Egan, noting the “considerable uncertainty” around federal funds.
“Due to federal program eliminations and uncertainty in future federal commitments, the Shapiro Administration is taking responsible steps to protect taxpayer dollars,” Egan said.
The former USAID contractor was laid off in January as USAID was being dismantled by the Trump administration. They had been excited to apply their work experience to a state job, but now they’re feeling “dismayed” and “disappointed,” said the former contractor who has worked in maternal and child health fields.
“It appears that government jobs, which we once thought of as being the most stable and secure, are no longer stable or secure,” they said.
Amid the uncertainty surrounding federal funding, the state of Pennsylvania added a step to the hiring process for jobs that depend on that money. The change comes as those with federal work experience have flocked to the Pennsylvania government with job applications after an executive order from Shapiro paved the way for their hiring.
“The Shapiro Administration instituted the additional reviews to ensure that Commonwealth agencies are making prudent, efficient, and thoughtful decisions when hiring for personnel into positions that are fully or partially funded with federal funds,” Egan said.
Shapiro’s March 5 executive order made it easier to hire former federal workers — many of whom have transferable skills — for state jobs. As of March 17, the state had received some 1,100 applications from roughly 700 people with federal work experience. As of Monday morning, roughly a month later, that total had jumped to approximately 3,800 applications from about 2,000 people with public service credentials.
It is unknown how recently these 2,000 applicants were employed by the federal government and whether their unemployment is related to the layoffs DOGE spurred.
The number of positions available fluctuates. As of Monday there were nearly 600 job postings on the state’s career page. A single job posting can be used to fill multiple vacancies of the same title.
The top positions drawing applicants with federal workforce experience include “Unemployment Compensation Claims Intake Interviewer,” “Clerical Assistant,” “Driver License Examiner Assistant,” and “Public Health Program Administrator,” according to a list provided by the Office of Administration.
As of the first week of April, some 6.8% of Pennsylvania government salaried positions were vacant, including hard-to-fill roles such as nurses, financial professionals, IT positions, and engineers.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to more precisely describe Gov. Josh Shapiro’s March 5 executive order.
