Career experts urge federal workers to learn AI skills as Trump cuts workforce

Workforce experts are urging federal employees to acquire skills in artificial intelligence for private-sector jobs as the Trump administration implements sweeping personnel cuts.

“Adding tech-related skills such as data analytics and AI-driven decision-making can significantly enhance job opportunities for federal workers transitioning to the private sector,” said Katrice Miller, a career coach and Labor Department program manager under the Obama and first Trump administrations.

She indicated that the global data management market will grow from $5.38 billion this year to $18.02 billion by 2032 as demand grows for AI-trained workers to protect personal information and comply with emerging government regulations.

“Reskilling is simply repositioning your existing skill sets for a different job or industry,” said Sam DeMase, a career expert at the job website ZipRecruiter. “Best practices include knowing your strengths inside and out, having prepared examples of your strengths in action from your work experience, and being able to articulate the specific results you achieve.”

According to a recent ZipRecruiter survey, government workers “are the least confident job seekers in the labor market” after recording “the lowest overall job seeker confidence index score of any industry” during the first three months of the year.

At the same time, 32% described their employment search positively, more than double the 13% of all job seekers who said the same.

Career experts note that many federal employees have “strong transferable skills” in project management, communication, leadership, risk management and policy analysis.

They say those workers could easily upgrade the computer skills they honed with aging government systems to land private-sector jobs as regulatory experts, cybersecurity consultants, human resource directors, health industry analysts, customer service representatives and government relations managers.

According to industry reports, more than a quarter of computer programming jobs have vanished in the past two years amid a surge in AI technology, creating new workplace needs.

Career expert Laurie Nilo-Klug noted a growing market for health care administrators and tech sector project managers certified in data management programs such as SQL and Python to automate tasks and workflows in an AI-driven economy.

“Many online platforms offer these certifications,” said Ms. Nilo-Klug, an adjunct professor at Seattle University and founder of the job-hunting website Post College Journey. “Instead of a career change to coding, students can learn to use coding as a tool. For example, learning Python to automate data reports or to create data visualizations allows them to stay in their field of interest.”

Code Ninjas, an education company that teaches software programming to children, says former federal workers who “learn to code” will be better positioned than others to stay employed.

“Generative AI can create base code with a simple prompt, but it still needs a software engineer or programmer to check that code, understand what needs to be modified, and then apply it to the right context and use in a program,” said Ed Kim, Code Ninjas’ vice president of education and training.

Marketing experts say it’s more effective for career bureaucrats to frame their move to the private sector as a “rebranding” rather than a complete pivot.

“Federal workers should focus on translating their government experience into corporate language,” said Angelica Gianchandani, a marketing instructor at New York University. “To reposition themselves effectively, they need to think like marketers, identify their transferable assets, understand their target market, and communicate their value clearly.”

Economist Siri Terjesen, a business professor and associate dean at public Florida Atlantic University, encouraged government workers to learn from the “best practices” of mentors and colleagues who have switched to the private sector.

“This can be a really fun process where one learns not only new skills and a new business area but also a lot about oneself and others,” Ms. Terjesen said. “I recommend that laid-off federal workers take some time to inventory their current interests and skills, strengths and weaknesses, and the type of work that is most enjoyable and most valuable.”

She pointed to the growing need for health services managers, physical therapy assistants, wind turbine service technicians, solar photovoltaic installers and home health care aides as other possibilities for former public servants.

“There are also many great skilled trades,” Ms. Terjesen said. “I’m a big fan of scholarships to help individuals training to become plumbers, electricians, steamfitters, pipe fitters and bricklayers.”

The Trump administration has aimed to eliminate up to 275,000 federal jobs. Nearly 75,000 employees, or 3.2% of the nation’s 2.4 million federal workers, have accepted buyouts for their positions.

Federal worker layoffs made up 79% of the 275,240 jobs that U.S. employers eliminated in March, according to a report by executive placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The company reported Thursday that 216,670 of the March job cuts stemmed directly from actions taken by President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the size of government.

Last month’s job cuts are up 60% from 172,017 in February and 205% from 90,309 in March 2024. It’s the highest number of March job cuts since the firm began tracking in 1989 and the third highest of any month on record.