A New Batch of Job Hunters?

Normally it’s a routine occurrence. After years of conducting research, regulating industries, fighting fires, building websites, or holding numerous other roles, a US government worker leaves the public sector—for a variety of reasons—and seeks to work for someone other than Uncle Sam. But, of course, in matters of government affairs, 2025 is anything but normal.

Rattled by recent changes, or pressed to resign, a potentially massive number of civil servants from a wide range of sectors may soon be making inquiries about, or already needing to join, the corporate world. The timing isn’t exactly ideal, with the number of US job openings shrinking by 15% last year. But analysts say that many companies may be hungry for the skill sets of these newly unemployed civil servants—assuming they can make a smooth transition to the private sector. “Government workers either make the shift to private-sector work very well, or they’re horrible at it,” says JP Sniffen, practice leader of Korn Ferry’s Military Center of Expertise, who has worked with hundreds of people trying to make this transition.

To be sure, the size of this new market of former federal employees is hard to know. The current US administration has stated it wants to quickly and significantly decrease the federal government’s 2.3 million-strong civilian workforce. About 77,000 employees have accepted an offer to resign in exchange for several months' pay. At the same time, a host of lawsuits have been filed to challenge the plans, and some fired workers have already been reinstated. If the culling were to be as large as the administration wants, the flood of new entrants from the federal government would be the largest since the 1990s.

As they review any new applicants, some HR officials may worry how well former government employees will transition to the private or nonprofit world. But many experts believe that many organizations would be thrilled to hire some of these workers. At a minimum, they represent an increase in available talent, and of a kind that companies don’t often get to hire in large quantities. The best of them have expertise and perspectives that can help firms solve a multitude of problems. Plus, they tend to be mission driven, seeking answers to questions big and small, says Jonathan Wildman, a senior client partner with Korn Ferry Advisory. “They could have made more money in the private sector, but chose to work for the public,” he says.

Government workers often have hard skills that are as good as, or even better than, those of private-sector employees. "This group has expertise in every sector and then some," says Wendy Monsen, president of Korn Ferry's US Government Services group. The question is whether they have the specific emotional-intelligence skills necessary to make the transition work. Government workers may be focused on timetables spanning years, whereas those at private organizations need to meet deadlines measured by quarters, weeks, or even days. Sniffen also says that many government workers may be reluctant to change the way they do things.

Kim Waller, a senior client partner in Korn Ferry’s Organizational Strategy practice and North America leader of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion practice, says that organizations that emphasize training and development can help make the transition smoother. Kate Shattuck, a Korn Ferry managing partner and US Army veteran, says companies should consider connecting ex-government workers with informal mentors whom they can turn to with questions.

Even with those moves, expect some hiccups. Earlier in her career, Waller worked as an economist for the Department of Labor before moving to an insurance firm. Along with the pace of work, her mission changed—from ensuring products were of the highest quality to selling clients a high-quality product. It was an adjustment: “That’s a big difference,” she says.

For companies looking to hire ex-government workers, the goal is to first figure out which of them can make the transition successfully. Sniffen suggests asking them to quantify their work, such as how big their budgets or teams were. “Numbers are a universal language,” he says. Private organizations also should ask candidates about the friction points they experienced in their government roles and how they worked to overcome them. Wildman suggests companies gauge how enthusiastic ex-government workers are to take on projects that need to be done quickly. “You want to see how they are on that achievement orientation,” he says.

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