New York ramps up initiative to recruit fired federal workers

New York State said Monday it plans to step up efforts to hire recently fired federal workers for state positions amid nationwide job cuts initiated by the new federal Department of Government Efficiency.

The state's recruitment initiative, called “You’re Hired,” launched last week, has been expanded to include two digital billboards announcing the state’s hiring drive, one in Washington, D.C.’s Union Station and the other at Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, the state said in a news release. The state Department of Labor also will host a series of information sessions starting Thursday for federal workers who have lost their jobs, or expect to, about support services available in New York.

The goal, the state said, is to attract recently jobless federal workers by promoting the state’s “competitive benefits, good salaries and labor protections.” 

DOGE, created by President Donald Trump on his first day in office, has fired thousands of government workers since Jan. 20. An estimated 200,000 federal jobs have been cut, according to figures from the Office of Personnel Management and news reports. DOGE is led by billionaire Elon Musk.

The governor's office said the state has more than 7,000 openings, including positions in the areas of transportation, health care and technology. In particular, attorneys, engineers, nurses and IT professionals were among positions the state said were most in demand.

The state did not provide specifics on the cost of the advertising initiative or the exact salary ranges for the job.

The expansion was announced Monday following a roundtable discussion Gov. Kathy Hochul held in New York City with federal employees affected by the DOGE job cuts.

“Elon Musk and his clueless cadre of career killers know nothing about how government works, who it serves, and the tireless federal employees who keep it running,” the news release said.

“We’re making sure talented, experienced federal workers know about the many opportunities available in our state workforce,” Hochul said.

In addition to the digital billboards, which display the message "New York Wants You," the state has created an informational brochure emphasizing job openings, resources for job seekers and information about the state's unemployment insurance program, the state said. 

While more layoffs are expected following Trump's order for federal agencies to propose additional cuts by mid-March, a federal judge in San Francisco last week ordered the administration to pause the firings.

A follow-up hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 13.

David Gonzalez, national vice president for District 2 of the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing federal employees nationwide, said more states need to take steps similar to New York's.

“I just hope that more governors would take such actions in helping federal employees because they’re being fired at no fault of their own,” said Gonzalez, whose district includes federal workers in New York.

“It’s not going to put every impacted federal employee back to work, but it will definitely help,” he said. “Federal employees have families to provide for, rents and mortgages that need to be paid for.”

Governors of several states have announced hiring campaigns for out-of-work federal employees or pointed to online resources. They include Virginia, Hawaii, Maryland and New Mexico, according to reports from AP and Axios.