Governor Youngkin launches a jobs initiative.
The lashing of the federal government workforce is not good news for Fairfax County where many families are dependent on a steady government job or with the many government contractors that go with them.
On the Virginia Employment Commission website there is a special section for recently unemployed government workers called "Resources for Virginia’s Former Federal Employees and Other Workers Impacted by the Federal Government Transition." Under that, there are a myriad of resources that go in several different directions that may leave many heads spinning. It’s a complex situation.
Mount Vernon resident Jim Weinstein is an employment specialist that now has his employment assistance office in his house in Hollin Hills. From his viewpoint the job outlook he sees isn't good. "It's horrifying," he said. "People are hoping things aren't that bad," but this is not realistic, he added. Despite what is advertised on the computer with Monster, Indeed and other job sites like that, companies aren't hiring a lot of people. “There’s no jobs out there,” he said.
Beefing up the resume may be a place to start but networking is his best recommendation. "That's going to be the way to go," Weinstein said. One USAID worker at the FCPS job fair experienced applying for jobs along with hundreds of other applicants that Weinstein mentioned. “It’s very over-saturated now.”
Braddock District Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw noted the latest move that's impacting Federal employees and has some links to higher up elected officials in the Congress and Senate. He pointed out the moves that the Trump administration made recently in his newsletter The Walkinshaw Advisory.
Volunteering may be an option to network.
"While it was clear that President Trump intended to attack and denigrate those who choose to serve their country, the recklessness, cruelty, and chaos he has deployed against our friends and neighbors is stunning," it stated. Although the local government's power to do something about this is minimal, he recommended to reach out to the county's Congressional delegation.
On Monday, Feb. 24, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia) launched the "Virginia Has Jobs," initiative, laying out details of the Federal Worker Support Resource Package, designed to assist Virginians impacted by changes in the federal workforce. Youngkin's package highlights 250,000 open jobs in Virginia. In the Northern Virginia section, there are private jobs with Fortune 500 companies such as CACI and Booz Allen Hamilton, for example, and in the public jobs section, Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria are listed along with several school systems.
The Fairfax County Public Schools recently had a job fair to attract former Federal employees for jobs on the service and administrative side in FCPS. School Superintendent Michelle Reid felt good about attracting former Federal employees because of the work ethic in the Federal government. “We want people that have that service-above-self mentality and we know our Federal workers have that,” Reid said.
There is a “trickle down” effect involved with the Federal government jobs too. With this government downsizing, contractors downsize too and then some of the surrounding offices go empty, just like during the pandemic a few years ago. With all these empty offices, the corner deli doesn’t have the lunch crowd they once had, there are fewer commuters and less money going around everywhere. Weinstein sees this too. “If you get laid off you aren’t going to take your family out to a fancy dinner,” he said.
In late January, the Virginia Employment Commission launched a newly redesigned website that offers:
· Streamlined navigation
· Step by Step Guidance
· Easy to access FAQs
· Real time responses
Go to www.vec.virginia.gov
Openings with Fairfax County Government can be found here: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/jobs
Openings with Fairfax County Public Schools can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/careers/career-opportunities/current-job-openings
Openings with Arlington County Public Schools can be found here:
https://www.apsva.us/careers-aps/
Openings with Arlington County government can be found here: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Careers
Openings with City of Alexandria government can be found here:
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/alexandria
Openings with City of Alexandria public schools can be found here:
https://www.acps.k12.va.us/departments/human-resources/employment-opportunities