Personnel Reform and the Federal Workforce

Alessandra Fenizia () and Christos Makridis ()

No 2026-006, Working Papers from The George Washington University, The Center for Economic Research

Abstract: This paper examines the effects of the 2025 U.S. federal personnel reforms. Using a difference-in-differences design, we document a persistent decline in federal employment, employee engagement, and job satisfaction, alongside a temporary increase in burnout and job search activity. Subjective well-being also declines and remains depressed, indicating spillovers beyond the workplace. Effects are heterogeneous by political affiliation, with large responses among Democrats and Independents and muted responses among Republicans. We find no evidence of partisan differences in attrition, suggesting that deteriorating attitudes did not translate into sustained labor market exits or changes in workforce composition.

Keywords: federal workforce; civil service reform; employee engagement; job satisfaction; public sector; Gallup Workforce Panel. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H83 J24 J28 J45 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 64 pages
Date: 2026-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hrm and nep-lma
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gwc:wpaper:2026-006

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