The latest official employment report again reveals that the state-local and federal government hiring spree is still in full gear. Over the past year, government and healthcare hiring has outpaced every industry in the private sector.
It isn’t only the IRS bringing thousands of new workers — government bloat is all over.
Even though there are many more government workers, you may have trouble finding them or getting them to answer the phone.
This is because many new hires aren’t physically on the job.
The federal government’s bloat borders on the ridiculous. A recent Federal News Network survey of federal workers finds that only 6% work full-time in the office, while thirty percent are full-time remote workers.
Washington office buildings have become graveyards, particularly on Fridays.
While exact comparisons between private and public employees are inexact and tricky, the best estimates are that in 2023, around 30% of private workers worked remotely or from home either all or some of the time.
In the private sector, the percentage of employees who work from home has declined from about 50% during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to FNN, federal employees are three times more likely to work remotely, all or some of the time.
Hybrid or full-time remote
• Federal government: 94%
• Private employees: 30%
Full-time remote
• Federal government: 30%
• Private employees: 12%
I’m okay with employees working remotely some days during the week. I work at home daily, after all. It’s likely to become more common in the digital age.
One has to wonder how many of these federal workers are necessary. How many remote government workers, who can rarely be fired for negative performance, are putting in an honest workday? My bet would be very few.
What’s ironic is that three years ago, the federal government proclaimed that federal employees should return to work post-COVID-19. However, many thousands have ignored the order.
Remember that government workers have some of the least stressful, highest-paid positions. They are paid about 30% to 40% more than private workers who are comparably skilled — when taking exorbitant benefits into account.
Here’s the solution: The U.S. government is losing almost $2 trillion annually. Don’t hire any more new workers!
Every federal agency, including the Pentagon—the biggest bureaucracy in the world—should implement a hiring freeze until the budget is balanced, except in extraordinary situations. Then, a 30% reduction in force should be imposed across the board.
If the government requires more revenues, begin by selling federal buildings that are less than half-occupied. Numerous buildings are less than 20% occupied.
Former President Donald Trump’s rallying cry in 2016 was “drain the swamp.” However, today, the swamp is dirtier and more profound than ever, and the swamp creatures of the deep state are even more plentiful after four years of Joe Biden.
If Trump is victorious, he and Republicans should start draining.
