Gov. Wes Moore (D) called on the private sector and nonprofits to join state government in mobilizing to find jobs for displaced federal workers. He characterized firings by President Donald Trump as “cruel” and an “attack.” (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)
Gov. Wes Moore (D) called on his own state agencies, as well as the private sector and nonprofits, to step up and hire federal employees and contractors purged by President Donald Trump (R).
Moore, in a Friday afternoon press conference, said his administration will look for ways to streamline state hiring and cherry-pick displaced federal employees and contractors.
“Now my background is, I was a soldier, and I know that in the Army they teach you, if you get attacked, you don’t just sit there and take it,” Moore said. “You mobilize and in Maryland, this is our moment to mobilize.”
The announcement is on top of an online public servants resource hub launched two weeks ago by the state after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management advised federal agencies to sack probationary employees. Moore said as many as 10,000 probationary employees in Maryland could be on the chopping block.
The governor on Friday announced a series of agency directives, resource websites and workshops and information sessions. The aim is to match state jobs with well-qualified federal employees.
On the list is an effort to fill more than 1,600 vacant teaching positions across the state.
The initiative includes a website to match federal employees with teaching vacancies in the state. Federal employees with post-secondary degrees and subject matter expertise may be able to use existing programs to obtain teaching certifications and licensing.
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Moore also directed the Maryland Department of Transportation to develop a Federal Workers Navigation webinar and guidebook.
The effort will focus on helping federal employees match their experience to state jobs. That effort will launch in March.
Hiring a new state employee can be time consuming, often taking four months. Department of Budget and Management officials said Friday that they hope to shorten that timeline to 30-45 days.
State officials were not able to say Friday exactly how many state positions are vacant right now, but they acknowledge that there will not be enough openings to absorb every displaced federal worker and contractor. There were also no estimates on how many displaced federal employees might actually be able to find a job with the state.
“I’m not issuing the rule of saying, ‘You must hire x and you must hire y,’” Moore said, adding that each department will have its own needs.
“I can tell you that this is the moment when Maryland is going to get creative,” he said. “That’s why the announcement today wasn’t just a callout to our state agencies and our departments.
“It was a callout to the private sector, saying we have some really talented people who I’m sure you want to know more. It’s a callout to our nonprofit organizations who are doing the work right now to serve and support the people of our state, who are saying there is a lot of talent and people who are true public servants and true patriots, who are ready to do the work, and who are ready to continue their mission,” Moore said.
There are roughly 160,000 federal employees in the state. It’s a number that does not capture the full reach of the effects of Trump’s federal budget clear-cutting.
More difficult to count are employees at agencies such as the National Security Agency. Contractors and those who receive federal grants are not typically included in the federal employee counts.
Moore told House and Senate fiscal committees this week that they know of about 1,300 employees in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties who have already lost their jobs.
So far, more than 450 federal employees or contractors have applied for unemployment benefits, according to administration officials. The governor said he expects the number of displaced workers to grow.
Officials said they will look to “recruit top talent” starting with a March 7 “Join Team Maryland” virtual information session. In-person job fairs will be held in Prince George’s County and Baltimore City later in March.
There will also be a series of local hiring fairs.
Other state resources for federal workers:
The state Department of Labor also offers displaced federal workers and contractors:
- A website with information on unemployment and career transition for federal employees and contractors.
- Frequently asked questions to help fired federal employees file for benefits.
- A free virtual workshop for former federal employees and contractors seeking new jobs. The workshops are held each Wednesday and participants can register by email.
- Two other websites — the state American Job Centers and the Professional Outplacement Assistance Center — offer resumé workshops, career guidance, mock interviews, skills assessments, job search strategies, and support services.