Federal Hiring Data is an independent research website and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government. Data is sourced from official government records, including USAJOBS and OPM.
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Evan Mercer

Evan Mercer is a pen-name identity used by Federal Hiring Data for original data-driven reporting on federal hiring and workforce trends.

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Major data investigations, OPM and USAJOBS research, federal workforce trends, and agency or occupation analysis.

Federal Hiring Data is independent and is not USAJOBS, OPM, or a federal government website.

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Aug 19, 2026Federal Pay Rose 14%. Prices Rose Nearly Twice as Fast.Consumer prices rose 27.7% from January 2021 through July 2026 while the GS base schedule rose 14.4%. Locality pay narrowed, but did not erase, the loss in scheduled purchasing power.Aug 18, 2026The Korea Exercise Was Cut. The Civilian Workforce Behind the Alliance Was NotThe U.S. defense presence in South Korea includes 2,903 appropriated-fund civilians, while 12,428 archived job announcements reveal the year-round system behind the alliance.Aug 18, 2026The USS Abraham Lincoln Is Still at Sea. A $192.6 Million Maintenance Plan Is WaitingThe carrier's deployment has outlasted its published maintenance calendar. More than 25,000 archived Navy job announcements show the shore-side labor system around its homeport.Aug 18, 2026IRS Workforce Fell 29% as GAO Warned of Filing-Season RisksThe IRS had 29,663 fewer covered civilian employees in June 2026 than in January 2025. GAO says workforce-planning gaps and post-filing pressures pose risks to future operations.Aug 18, 2026Federal FOIA Backlog Hit 339,671 as DHS Carried Nearly HalfThe federal FOIA backlog rose 27% in fiscal 2025. DHS held 168,505 pending requests while request volume grew and two different public staffing measures moved downward.Aug 18, 2026FEMA's Public Workforce Count Fell 22% as GAO Warned of Readiness RisksFEMA had 5,793 fewer covered civilian employees in June 2026 than in January 2025. GAO says the agency cut staff without the workforce planning needed to assess mission capacity.Aug 18, 2026Retirement Was 38% of Federal Separations in 2025. Quits Were Still More Common.OPM data record 390,934 federal separation actions in 2025. Retirements accounted for 150,299, while quits remained the largest single category.Aug 18, 2026 / Data as of Mar 31, 2026How the Federal Job Announcement Mix Shifted in Early 2026Q1 announcement volume was 6.7% lower in 2026 than in 2025, but nurse and medical officer postings rose while several administrative and IT series declined.Aug 18, 2026 / Data as of Sep 30, 2025Federal Job Postings Continued During the 2025 Hiring Freeze. Here's What the Archive ShowsMore than 81,000 federal job announcements closed from April through September 2025, showing continued advertised activity during a freeze that included exceptions and agency-specific implementation.Aug 17, 2026Trump Threatens Oman as U.S. Federal Personnel Face Elevated Security RisksSome non-emergency U.S. personnel had already been relocated. A 2025 inspection documented 108 authorized U.S. direct-hire positions, while current public personnel data captures only a fraction.Aug 16, 2026 / Data as of Mar 31, 2025VHA and Nursing Shaped the March 2025 Federal Hiring SnapshotMarch 2025 federal announcement volume fell from February, but VHA grew as a share of the archive and Nurse became the top occupational series.Aug 16, 2026 / Data as of Feb 28, 2025Information Technology Remained a Top Federal Series in February 2025Information Technology Management, series 2210, ranked fourth in February 2025 announcement volume and averaged about $142,425 in normalized salary maximums.Aug 16, 2026 / Data as of Feb 28, 2025Veterans Health Administration and Defense Agencies Led February 2025 Federal PostingsThe February 2025 historical archive contained 18,991 USAJOBS announcements, with Veterans Health Administration and defense agencies forming the largest visible hiring signals.Aug 16, 2026 / Data as of Jan 24, 2025Administrative, IT and Nursing Series Dominated January 2025 Federal PostingsBy Jan. 24, 2025, the FederalHiringData archive showed administrative, management-analysis, IT and nursing series at the top of federal announcement volume.Aug 16, 2026 / Data as of Jan 31, 2025Veterans Health Administration Led January 2025 Federal Job AnnouncementsA FederalHiringData archive reconstruction found 24,256 USAJOBS announcements closing in January 2025, led by 4,193 Veterans Health Administration postings.