Interest in government jobs is not what it was a year ago

A year ago, the “government Jobs” hashtag was trendy in Tiktok, with videos of employees setting up the stability and the advantages of the field and explaining best practices to find a job.

Interest in industry increased. Not so much.

During a highly competitive year, federal employers were the only industry that saw requests from year to year, decrease in the second half of the school year, according to handshake data shared with BI.

The federal government has lost more candidacy shares than any industry from one year to the next, apart from technology, said the platform.

Government roles, including the state sectors, local and federal, received around 4.4% of the class of 2025 total applications, against approximately 5.5% for the promotion of 2024 last year, according to the Handshake class report of 2025 released THURSDAY.

Last year, the job platform reported a significant increase in the availability of jobs and the interests of students to work for the government. At the time, stability was the top priority for graduate students, and government jobs delivered exactly that.

“People alleged at the time, there is nothing more sure than a job of the government,” Business Insider in an interview.

Cruzvergara said that the promotion of 2025 was on the right track to follow and exceed this trend until a series of executive decrees signed by President Donald Trump reach the federal workforce in January.

Around mid-January, federal jobs drew 2.7 times more requests than local roles or roles, despite the state and premises roles exceeding federal roles from more than six to one, told Bi.

But in early April, State employers received 1.5 times more requests than federal employers and local employers were just below, the Platform at BI said.

“January strikes and suddenly the government has lost a ton,” said Cruzvergara, adding that the federal government “has specifically lost a ton of requests.”

Increased interest in state and local roles

While federal employment requests fell 40% from one year to the next during the second half of the school year, local roles increased by 31% and the roles of the state by 35%.

Cruzvergara said that there was essentially a “flip” between the government sectors. Before the decrees, the students were more interested in federal jobs and there was a certain interest in state and local roles. This year, the interest in the state and local jobs increased after mid-January.

It is not a total surprise. Trump has set up a federal hiring gel almost as soon as he came into office. He also created Doge, led by the technological billionaire Elon Musk, who was on a mission to reduce federal agencies and dismantle.

Meanwhile, states like New York, California and Virginia have published job campaigns in their local and state governments for federal workers. Cruzvergara said that students who were really ready to work in the government probably ended up looking instead of state or local posts.

This year’s promotion priorities may also have influenced their interest in state and local posts. Although stability was absolute priority last year, it arrived in second position this year, behind its location, said Handshake in its report.

The state and premises roles allow job seekers more flexibility to choose where they want to work.

Back to the private sector

Cruzvergara told Bi that some job seekers in the promotion of 2025 who had high intentions to enter the federal government dates back to the private sector. The handshake told BI that there had been an increase in requests for roles in technology, finance, health care and advice among the elderly who had already applied for federal roles before the decrees.

“You have students who return to finance, returning to technology, in some of the areas they leave to go to the federal government last year,” Cruzvergara told BI.

Cruzvergara said that there had also been an increase in requests to non -profit organizations, law and even real estate, which can also meet with state and local policy.

The choice to reconsider the private sector has often resisted the practice, Cruzvergara. The 2025 class, in particular, is less rigid as to stick to a path and more open to the use of their skills in different fields.

Handshake’s report revealed that out of 57% of the 2025 class that started university with “dream work” in mind, less than half still have the same objectives.