Federal Civilian Workforce Soars to 2.79 Million After Years of Restraint

In a dramatic government turnabout, the federal civilian workforce has grown for 13 consecutive months, and is now slightly larger than when President Obama first took office in early 2009, in the depths of the recession.

A new report by Government Executive says federal agencies that were once hamstrung by tight budget caps and across the board spending cuts that necessitated downsizing and temporary hiring freezes have picked up the pace in hiring new workers or filling long-standing vacancies.

For instance, federal departments and agencies added 41,000 workers in just the past year, including 3,000 in July. The overall federal workforce – including the U.S. Postal Service – totaled 2.79 million at the end of last month. That is the highest federal employment level since April 2013, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.

Despite its ongoing financial problems and past downsizing, the USPS has been one of the most active agencies in terms of bringing on new workers. It currently employs 15,000 more workers than it did a year ago, according to Government Executive. Other non-postal agencies have added 26,000 jobs.

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