Survey finds most federal workers would not choose government again

Federal agencies could face a harder time hiring and keeping workers after a July survey found 64% of active and retired employees said they were unlikely to choose a federal career again. The finding points to a workforce problem that can ripple far beyond morale, raising the risk of thinner staffing in the offices that process benefits, answer calls for help and carry out disaster response.

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association said the poll captured active and retired federal employees, and that nearly two-thirds of U.S. federal workers said they would not enter public service again. Respondents pointed to eroding job security and benefits, but their answers also reflected dissatisfaction with the current federal climate rather than regret about having taken government jobs in the first place.

That distinction matters because the pressure on the civil service has been building for more than a year. A Pew Research Center overview published on Jan. 7, 2025, said President-elect Donald Trump had made shrinking the size and scope of the federal government a central focus of his second administration. Separately, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said executive orders in 2025 were aimed at reducing the federal workforce and restricting hiring in many areas, and that the number of federal employees declined across all major agencies that year.

NARFE has framed those changes as a continuing threat to the federal community, warning that benefits are complicated and under constant threat and that recent executive actions and legislation have added to the strain. The policy backdrop has filtered into day-to-day morale: a 2025 Partnership for Public Service survey of more than 10,000 current federal employees found only 7.5% felt motivated by political leaders, while 22.5% said they did not feel motivated by them.

Taken together, the numbers suggest the challenge is not just pay. It is a mix of job insecurity, political pressure and management stress that makes federal service less attractive than it once was. If those conditions persist, agencies will have a harder time replacing departing staff and sustaining the capacity the public depends on when benefits are delayed, records pile up or emergency response becomes urgent.