Federal hiring freeze

[SenNoodles]

For those interested in MPP/MPA programs, Trump just announced a hiring freeze for the federal government. Full details don't seem to be available just yet, but it seems to be indefinite and going into effect immediately. It's worth remembering this affects not just the federal government but also NGOs and policy-related private sector - those who would otherwise have been going for federal jobs will likely be applying to these positions instead, increasing demand and probably making it harder to find policy jobs.

As decisions come out, it's also a factor to consider when deciding how much debt to take out. If you're considering public service loan forgiveness, it just got a whole lot more difficult to find a job that qualifies for it (and that's assuming the program will stay).

[PaulRR]

That hiring freeze was mentioned a few weeks ago on the thread below. Here's some of the article. Not a surprise since it's exactly what he said he would do in the first 100 days. Bad time to look for a government job. SenNoodles, I also wonder if this will impact enrollment in many government affairs programs- especially MPP and MPA programs. Everything except for the military is a massive cut. The important details will be how much of the government he wants to shrink- maintaining a hiring freeze until 10% or some other percentage of government employees leave or retire.

 

Trump freezes hiring of many federal workers

President Trump instituted a government-wide hiring freeze Monday, signing an executive order that he said would affect all employees “except for the military.”

Trump had pledged to halt government hiring as part of his campaign’s “Contract with the American Voter,” which he framed as part of a larger effort to “clean up corruption and special interest in Washington D.C.” That campaign plan, however, also included exemptions for public safety and public health.

Speaking to reporters Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the hiring freeze aimed to send the message, “We’ve got to respect the American taxpayer.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-freezes-hiring-of-federal-workers/2017/01/23/f14d8180-e190-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html?utm_term=.310eaeaed063

 

[mpamppquestions]

This is why I'm planning to go non-profit after I finish my MPP under the current administration. 

[baysbar94]

I would add two points.

1) The federal government is not the only government employer. There are 50 states and hundreds of municipalities. A Master in Public Administration was never a degree to go six-figures into debt for, but it's still worthwhile.

2) I wouldn't be so sure that everyone who would ordinarily go for a government job will seek non-profit work. It's true the degree is most useful there, but there are skills useful in the private sector as well. 

Edited January 24, 2017 by baysbar94

[Ingo93]

Lucky thing I'm planning on going military after I get my master's.

[SenNoodles]

On 1/24/2017 at 0:59 PM, mpamppquestions said:

This is why I'm planning to go non-profit after I finish my MPP under the current administration. 

Along with the rest of us - that's what I'm concerned about. Competition for nonprofits is going to go way up, and if these groups lose any government funding they were getting (especially since, as @Nasty Woman noted, many nonprofits are federal contractors), they're also going to be hiring fewer people. 

 

On 1/24/2017 at 1:54 PM, baysbar94 said:

1) The federal government is not the only government employer. There are 50 states and hundreds of municipalities. A Master in Public Administration was never a degree to go six-figures into debt for, but it's still worthwhile.

2) I wouldn't be so sure that everyone who would ordinarily go for a government job will seek non-profit work. It's true the degree is most useful there, but there are skills useful in the private sector as well. 

 

To 1) yes, but for those of us interested in IR/international development, there aren't many opportunities at the state and local levels. And to 2) for sure - I'm not denying the degree is useful. But I am in an MPP program now, and I know many of my classmates and I are considering private sector which we wouldn't have if the election had gone differently. Anecdotal, yes, but it's not unreasonable to say simply that competition for nonprofits and policy-related private sector jobs will go up as a result of the hiring freeze.

[MaxwellAlum]

Federal workers I know are all worried about losing their jobs and/or the prospect of being forced to undo all of the work their agencies have done for the past eight years.  Many of my friends in nonprofits that rely on federal funds are worried about getting defunded.  Definitely look at state and local government (there are actually tens of thousands of counties and municipalities in the US) and private sector (they might benefit from the federal hiring freeze if agencies are forced to outsource).  If you are looking to work internationally, seek out an internship at the UN and take the YPP exam.  But I suspect everyone working in the public policy arena will be impacted in some way, if not immediately than within a year or two.

[Guest]

I guess I have no complaints of pushing my graduation date to May 2018. Hopefully, the future won't be even worse though.