The U.S. federal workforce decreased by approximately 9%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on November 26. The reduction totals nearly 271,000 employees, bringing the civilian workforce down from 3.015 million in January to 2.744 million as of November.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, launched under President Trump’s administration, accounted for the majority of these cuts, including approximately 154,000 buyouts and mass terminations within agencies such as the former USAID, which had a workforce of 10,000 employees.

BLS data indicates that the federal workforce has not fallen below 2.7 million since 1966, when the U.S. population was significantly smaller than today’s levels. Federal spending increased during President Trump’s first year in office, reaching $7.6 trillion as of November 2025—exceeding all prior years under former President Joe Biden.

The November jobs report was delayed by a government shutdown that impacted data collection for both October and November. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in November, up 0.2 percentage points from September 2025.