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Maryland 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.
鈥淣ow my background is, I was a soldier, and I know that in the Army they teach you, if you get attacked, you don鈥檛 just sit there and take it,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淵ou mobilize and in Maryland, this is our moment to mobilize.鈥�
The announcement is on top of an聽聽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聽聽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.
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.
鈥淚鈥檓 not issuing the rule of saying, 鈥榊ou must hire x and you must hire y,’鈥� Moore said, adding that each department will have its own needs.
鈥淚 can tell you that this is the moment when Maryland is going to get creative,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why the announcement today wasn鈥檛 just a callout to our state agencies and our departments.
鈥淚t was a callout to the private sector, saying we have some really talented people who I鈥檓 sure you want to know more. It鈥檚 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,鈥� Moore said.
There are roughly 160,000 federal employees in the state. It鈥檚 a number that does not capture the full reach of the effects of Trump鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 鈥渞ecruit top talent鈥� starting with a March 7 鈥溾�� virtual information session. In-person job fairs will be held in Prince George鈥檚 County and Baltimore City later in March.
There will also be a series of聽.
Other state resources for federal workers:
The state Department of Labor also offers displaced federal workers and contractors:
- A website with聽聽for federal employees and contractors.
- 聽to help fired federal employees file for benefits.
- A free聽聽for former federal employees and contractors seeking new jobs. The workshops are held each Wednesday and participants can register by email.
- Two other websites 鈥� the state聽聽and the聽聽鈥� offer resum茅 workshops, career guidance, mock interviews, skills assessments, job search strategies, and support services.
