Press Release: UPDATE: Gov. Evers, DWD Highlight Success of Job Fairs Offered to Federal Workers Affected by Mass Trump Administration Firings

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 05/21/2025 12:21 PM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2025
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
UPDATE: Gov. Evers, DWD Highlight Success of Job Fairs Offered to Federal Workers Affected by Mass Trump Administration Firings 
 Evers Administration virtual job fairs draw nearly 300 participants across eight different high-demand career sector job fairs 

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), today highlighted the most recent impacts from the Evers Administration’s virtual job fairs that were made available to federal workers affected by the Trump Administration’s reckless mass firings. The virtual job fairs focused on eight different high-demand sectors, from healthcare and informational technology to law enforcement and engineering, drawing nearly 300 participants.

“Here in Wisconsin, we don’t turn our backs on the dedicated public servants who bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and perspective to our workforce, and I’m glad that we’ve been able to offer critical resources to about 300 folks who have been left in the lurch by the reckless actions of the Trump Administration,” said Gov. Evers. “It is more important than ever that we remain steadfast in supporting the dedicated folks who make up our workforce, and in doing so, bolster high-demand job sectors across the state.”

In March, Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration announced several initiatives to support fired federal workers and other displaced professionals, including the virtual job fairs hosted by DWD, the launch of a new online federal worker portal, and additional resources for those seeking different employment opportunities to help connect them with available work.

Federal workers and other displaced professionals can go to the Evers Administration’s federal worker portal to learn more: DWD.wisconsin.gov/federal-workers/

The job fairs hosted by the Evers Administration to respond to reckless attempts to mass fire thousands of federal employees attracted nearly 300 attendees and included participation from nine of Wisconsin’s state agencies. A list of job fair participation numbers broken down by job sector is available below.

  • Healthcare | 48 attendees  
  • Information Technology | 55 attendees  
  • Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security | 15 attendees  
  • Science and Research | 76 attendees  
  • Engineering | 17 attendees  
  • Social Services | 35 attendees  
  • Maintenance/Mechanical | 4 attendees 
  • Financial/Accounting | 34 attendees  

In addition to the federal worker portal highlighted above, individuals interested in learning more about potential employment opportunities and getting connected with available employee assistance can also find more information at the links below:

  • Wisc.Jobs:
    • The official State of Wisconsin job site, Wisc.Jobs, is an online, state-run job search resource that offers a comprehensive and interactive list of available career opportunities across the state.  
  • Civic Match: 
    • This resource connects federal workers and campaign staff with meaningful roles in state and local governments across the country.  
  • The Veterans Non-competitive Appointment: 
    • This resource allows veterans with disabilities to apply for jobs within state agencies and be considered without having to compete or take a civil service assessment. 
  • The Military Career Crosswalk Reference:  
    • This resource aims to assist veterans and folks with a military background by helping translate their military skills and experience to match up with civilian job titles and state of Wisconsin Job Categories. 
  • Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF): 
    • This resource outlines retirement, insurance, disability, and other Wisconsin Retirement System benefits for current and former public employees, retirees, and their beneficiaries. 
  • DWD Website:  
    • The DWD website offers tools for employment searches, employment and training services, job loss resources, unemployment insurance, and more.  
  • Wisconsin Department of Safety & Professional Services (DSPS) Website: 
    • The DSPS website offers information on licensure requirements for various professions across the state.  
The Trump Administration in recent months has targeted over 120,000 federal workers across more than 30 agencies, affecting programs, services, and agencies Wisconsin’s kids, families, farmers, veterans, and seniors depend on.

The attempts to fire thousands of federal workers have also included gutting the United States Agency for International Development, firing nearly 84 percent of employees at the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Community Planning and Development, more than half of the employees at the U.S. Department of Education, 15 percent at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and 10 percent of employees at the National Institutes of Health.

The Trump Administration’s sweeping and reckless layoffs have hit the nation’s veterans particularly hard. All told, veterans comprise about a quarter of the federal workforce, not including active-duty personnel, and reports indicate an estimated 6,000 veterans have already been baselessly fired by the Trump Administration. Additionally, in March, reports indicated the Trump Administration plans to baselessly and illegally fire more than 70,000 workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the largest cabinet-level agency with a quarter of its employees themselves being veterans, and affecting services and resources available to those they serve. 

Most recently, the Trump Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made several reckless, devastating cuts, including laying off and terminating approximately a quarter—about 20,000 HHS employees—whose responsibilities include but were not limited to vaccine researchers, grant administration, responding to lead exposure incidents, answering public information requests to ensure government accountability and transparency, and specialists who help provide care and assistance to senior and aging and older adults, among others.

Gov. Evers has announced multiple lawsuits challenging the reckless firings and mass terminations that have left families who have bills to pay and families to feed in Wisconsin and across the country in the lurch.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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