Trump Cuts Shrink Federal Workforce Back To Obama Levels

President Donald Trump’s reductions have dramatically shrunk the federal workforce to the smallest level in more than a decade, according to economic data.

Total federal government employment fell by 6,000 in November, following a drop of 162,000 federal government jobs in October, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Tuesday. There were just 2,744,000 federal workers employed in November, marking the lowest reported number since December 2014, in the middle of former President Barack Obama‘s second term, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED).

The sharp decline in the size of the federal workforce in October was driven by the fact that employees who have accepted buyouts earlier in 2025 were officially taken off payrolls, National Public Radio (NPR) reported.

Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in November, increasing 64,000, and has shown little net change since April, the BLS reported. Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate in November was barely changed from September at 4.6%, according to the BLS.

“The strong jobs report shows how President Trump is fixing the damage caused by Joe Biden and creating a strong, America First economy in record time,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday. “Since President Trump took office, 100% of the job growth has come in the private sector and among native-born Americans — exactly where it should be. Workers’ wages are rising, prices are falling, trillions of dollars in investments are pouring into our country, and the American economy is primed to boom in 2026.”