Today, Governor Wes Moore announced a series of actions to help Marylanders impacted by federal workforce layoffs, firings, and changes to federal funding. These actions reinforce the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to supporting Marylanders, while investing in an economy that can weather future disruptions. Federal workers have years of expertise and knowledge that are an asset to our state. They are our friends and our neighbors – public servants who raised their hand to serve our country – and we are committed to making it possible for them to stay in Maryland.
These new actions will support Maryland workers, support the communities they live in, and help protect our local economies. The Governor announced that the Moore-Miller Administration:
- Expanded the Maryland Public Servants Resource Website. New resources include:
- Live Work Maryland Job Search that highlights job openings in information technology, life sciences, engineering, aerospace, and other high demand industries. Currently, there are nearly 130,000 open job postings on the website.
- Additional state and other programs that impacted workers may be eligible for, including housing support.
- The State’s Unified Benefits Screener to streamline the process for Marylanders to see what supports are available to them.
- Additional state and other programs that support veterans, including resources to help veterans make a career transition, access health care, and receive emergency financial assistance. Approximately 15% of all federal workers in Maryland are veterans.
- County and other local resources to help workers find additional supports through their local community.
- Launched an initiative to recruit federal workers into open state jobs. While there are not enough state jobs for every federal worker, the State of Maryland is recruiting top talent to join state government. This work will kick off with “Joining Team Maryland” – a virtual information session about state jobs – on March 7th, and will be followed by joint in-person job fairs in Prince George’s County and Baltimore City later in March. To sign-up to attend the virtual information session, please fill out this form.
- Announced a series of hiring fairs in partnership with counties and local leaders. These recruitment events will help connect impacted federal workers and contractors to public and private sector jobs in their communities. To learn more, view here.
- Signed three new memorandums directing agencies to take actions to improve our state and local hiring practices to support the influx of federal workers who may be interested in continuing their public service within the State of Maryland. The Governor issued three directives:
- The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) will pilot a Federal Workers Navigation program to support career public servants at the federal level with translating their federal experience to state-level public service opportunities. This webinar and guidebook will help federal workers better understand how MDOT operates and what open jobs might be a good fit for their level of seniority, experiences, and expertise. MDOT will launch this pilot in March.
- The Maryland Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will implement additional process improvements to help manage the potential influx of applications from impacted federal workers within 45 days. This includes expedited hiring for critical and hard-to-fill positions and batching similar positions across agencies to streamline recruitment and hiring. DBM oversees hiring for most state jobs outside of MDOT and higher education, and the Department continues to look for process improvements to make recruitment and hiring processes more effective and efficient.
- The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) will work in partnership to identify opportunities to help federal workers explore a second career in teaching to address the teacher shortage in Maryland. This could include helping federal workers understand their options for education and licensure, navigate the process, and get credentialed quicker. MSDE and MHEC will share a plan with the Governor within 45 days which will identify ways to support federal workers' transition to teaching.
- Announced a new online resource page to support federal workers interested in a second career as a public school teacher, helping to address the over 1,600 Maryland classrooms that remain unstaffed. MSDE and MHEC are working together to ensure that former and current federal workers with interest in teaching at the elementary and secondary levels are connected with employment opportunities and can take advantage of existing pathways to licensure for those with postsecondary degrees. They expanded Teach.Maryland.gov to include an additional resource page that provides access to information on pathways to teacher certification and connections to local school districts and higher education institutions offering teacher preparation programs. MSDE and MHEC will also provide guidance on upcoming information sessions and workshops tailored for transitioning federal workers in the coming months. This effort builds upon Governor Moore’s Educator Shortage Act which has been accompanied by a 25% reduction in teacher vacancies since the law went into effect. It also builds upon his Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act, which calls for increased investment in teacher recruitment and retention, including additional funding for programs designed to support pathways into teaching for career changers. This work demonstrates the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to expanding opportunities for any Marylander interested in teaching to enter the profession and ensure that every classroom has a high-quality educator.
Today’s announcement built upon previous actions Governor Moore has taken to support Maryland workers.
- Governor Wes Moore launched the Maryland Public Servants Resource Website, which serves as a centralized hub for programs and resources to support Maryland’s federal employees and contractors impacted by federal workforce layoffs, firings, and changes to federal funding. The website launched on February 14, 2025 – the day after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management advised federal agencies to dismiss probationary employees.
- These federal actions could potentially impact roughly 200,000 jobs nationally and thousands of Marylanders. Since launch, the website has had over 51,000 unique visitors and over 69,000 views.
- The Maryland Department of Labor launched a dedicated webpage for federal employees and contractors, focused on filing for Unemployment Insurance and accessing career transition resources. This page includes Unemployment Insurance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help impacted workers file for their benefits.
- To date, around 450 federal employees have filed for Unemployment Insurance benefits and more than 20,000 active users have visited the dedicated Maryland Department of Labor resource page.
- The Maryland Department of Labor is offering a free virtual workshop specifically for former federal employees and contractors who are seeking support to explore new career opportunities. This workshop is every Wednesday, 9 a.m. - noon. To date, over 250 Marylanders have participated in this workshop. To sign up, email FedWorker.Transition@maryland.gov.
- In addition, Maryland’s American Job Centers (AJCs) and specialized Professional Outplacement Assistance Center (POAC) can assist Marylanders in transitioning to a new career. Services include résumé workshops, individualized career guidance, mock interviews, career and skills assessment, job search strategies, support in coping with job loss and job transition, networking support, reemployment workshops, and more. Please see the AJC and POAC websites for hours and locations. For answers to common questions from workers transitioning from federal employment to new opportunities, see this resource guide and FAQ page.