By SUZANNE DOWNING
April 24, 2026 – The size of the federal civilian workforce has dropped to its lowest level in roughly six decades, following substantial reductions that began after President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025.
Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows total federal government employment, including postal workers, at about 2.66 million employees in March 2026. That is the lowest level recorded since 1966, after a decline of more than 350,000 jobs since early 2025.
Federal jobs make up a relatively high share of Alaska’s workforce, around 4–5%. Alaska has a higher per-capita concentration of federal employees than most states, with major employers including the Department of Defense, Interior (parks, wildlife, land management), Agriculture (Forest Service), and others. According to the Bureau of labor and Statistics, in 2024 there were 15,500 federal civilian jobs in Alaska, and in 2025 the number had shrunk by 300 to 15,200, or nearly 2%.
The Office of Personnel Management, which tracks executive branch civilian employment and often exclude the Postal Service, show national totals generally in the range of 2.0 to 2.3 million workers in recent months.
The reductions have occurred amid efforts by the Trump Administration to shrink the size of the federal government through hiring slowdowns, workforce reductions (DOGE), and programs encouraging voluntary separations. Estimates vary by methodology, but analyses indicate net losses of roughly 200,000 to more than 350,000 federal positions during 2025 alone.
The drop marks a sharp break from prior years. Federal employment had remained relatively stable for decades, typically hovering between about 2.4 million and 3 million workers depending on how the workforce is measured.
Historical data show executive branch civilian employment excluding the Postal Service was approximately 1.8 million in 1960. Broader federal employment — including postal workers — peaked near 3.4 million around 1990 before gradually declining. The recent reductions pushed totals below levels recorded during Lyndon Johnson’s presidency in the mid-1960s.
As a share of total US employment, the federal workforce has also shrunk dramatically. Federal jobs now account for roughly 1.7% of total US employment, compared to more than 4% in the mid-1960s.
