Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing [View all]

[dalton99a]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-federal-layoffs-c41ae32800a7f170484de79572543da2

Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing
By MATT SEDENSKY
Updated 7:04 AM CST, March 7, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Scrambling to replace their health insurance and to find new work, some laid-off federal workers are running into another unexpected unpleasantry: Relatives cheering their firing.

The country’s bitterly tribal politics are spilling into text chains, social media posts and heated conversations as Americans absorb the reality of the government’s cost-cutting measures. Expecting sympathy, some axed workers are finding family and friends who instead are steadfast in their support of what they see as a bloated government’s waste.

“I’ve been treated as a public enemy by the government and now it’s bleeding into my own family,” says 24-year-old Luke Tobin, who was fired last month from his job as a technician with the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest.

Tobin’s job loss sent him scurrying to fill prescriptions before he lost his health insurance and filling out dozens of applications to find whatever work he can, even if it’s at a fast-food restaurant. But some relatives reacting to his firing as “what has to happen to make the government great again” has been one of the worst parts of the entire ordeal.

“They can’t separate their ideology and their politics from supporting their own family and their own loved ones,” says Tobin.

....


https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/business/economy/federal-workers-layoffs-job-market.html

As Layoffs Continue, Federal Workers Face Sluggish Job Market
Unemployment is low, but there isn’t much room to move around — especially for those with highly government-specific skills.
By Lydia DePillis and Colby Smith
March 7, 2025 Updated 9:44 a.m. ET

For about a year now, the labor market has existed in a state of eerie calm: Not many people were losing their jobs or quitting, but not many of those seeking work were getting job offers.

The mass layoffs now underway across the federal government, along with its employees who are voluntarily heading for the exits, could disrupt that uneasy equilibrium.

While unemployment is relatively low at 4 percent, those losing their positions could face a difficult time finding work, depending on how well their skills translate to a private sector that does not seem eager to hire.

“Federal workers all across the country are starting to look, and it’s impacting people everywhere,” said Cory Stahle, an economist at the job search platform Indeed. “It’s hard to think this isn’t going to stress test the labor market in the coming months.”

Finding an open job with the right skill requirements could make things more challenging. In the Washington metropolitan area in mid-February, there were 11,600 postings for business operations specialists, but for just 106 tax examiners and one agricultural inspector.

...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Trump cult is the most toxic force in modern U.S. history