Chicago – February 04, 2025
The White House is expecting a rise in federal employee resignations as the deadline for a buyout offer approaches this Thursday.
This offer was part of former President Donald Trump’s plan to bring government employees back to their offices after working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal workers had the option to either return to their offices or accept the buyout and leave their jobs.
A White House official said the number of resignations is expected to increase in the next two days, just before the deadline. So far, around 20,000 federal employees—about 1% of the total workforce—have chosen the buyout. However, the official said this number is not final and may change.
On January 28, the Office of Personnel Management notified approximately 2 million federal employees that they must return to in-person work five days a week, or they can accept the buyout offer.
Those who take the buyout will keep their pay and benefits but won’t have to work in person until September 30. Certain jobs, like military roles, postal workers, and positions related to national security, are not eligible for the buyout offer. The White House had predicted that 5% to 10% of the federal workforce might resign.
