Out of the 352,285 federal workers who were either laid off or left the federal government in 2025, more than 17,000 of those held IT management or telecommunications-related roles, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reported.
Four hundred thirty-five IT and telecommunications workers were laid off, and 8,910 left the government through the deferred resignation program (DRP), OPM data showed.
Other personnel departures not related to federal layoffs or the DRP accounted for the remaining workforce reductions.
In its new database detailing federal workforce changes since the second Trump administration took office on Jan. 20, 2025, OPM said that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cut the most IT and telecommunications roles – 150 – through reductions in force (RIF).
After HHS executed a restructuring plan in April, a wave of top cybersecurity and IT leaders were terminated. That restructuring centralized the department’s IT employees, according to HHS.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year that directed federal agencies to undertake large-scale RIFs to cut employees deemed unrelated to agency functions that have been authorized by congressional statutes.
It notably exempted roles related to public safety, immigration enforcement, or law enforcement.
The Department of State conducted 82 IT and telecommunications RIFs, the General Services Administration had 46, the Department of Education reported 45, and collectively, the Small Business Administration, OPM, and non-chief financial officer act agencies had 38, OPM data revealed.
About 52% – or 8,910 – of the total 17,074 IT and telecommunications departures were under the DRP, the data revealed.
The DRP was offered to federal employees who agreed to separate from federal service by Sept. 30, 2025 – or Dec. 31 if eligible for retirement. Prior to their separation, they received full pay and benefits while on administrative leave.
The Department of Defense (DOD) – rebranded as the Department of War by the Trump administration – had the most DRP-related departures, reporting that 3,357 IT and telecommunications employees chose to leave the federal government.
The departments of Treasury, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs followed the DOD in the highest number of DRP departures. Respectively, the departments had 1,462, 643, and 600 departures, according to data from OPM.
OPM Director Scott Kupor said in November that the Trump administration exceeded its goal of four departures for every new federal hire.
“Ultimately, we should all be focused on reducing the total dollar expense of service delivery, rather than the actual count of employees,” Kupor said, adding that “the goal is not to focus on the raw number of [full-time employees] but rather to focus on great service delivery with maximum efficiency.”
Notably, the federal government is looking to hire new tech talent through its recent U.S. Tech Force initiative, aimed at recruiting an initial 1,000 early-career technologists who will serve two-year employment terms across the federal government.
OPM said that Tech Force participants will work on “high impact technology initiatives,” including artificial intelligence, data modernization, and digital service delivery, and be placed throughout a variety of agencies – including those that reported IT and telecommunications layoffs or DRP departures.