Posted on 04/23/2026 6:08:43 PM PDT by cotton1706
After he applied to his 599th job, John Burg stopped counting.
Burg was laid off as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development in January 2025, after a decades-long career that took him to Thailand, Kosovo and El Salvador. He was one of more than 300,000 federal workers and contractors whose jobs were eliminated by the Department of Government Efficiency.
One year, one massive spreadsheet of job leads and only a handful of interviews later, Burg has returned to the job he had in college, doing carpentry jobs for his Takoma Park neighborhood, just outside of Washington.
“A lot of licensed contractors won’t do work for less than $60 because it doesn’t fit their economy of scale. That’s my bread and butter,” he said. “Little old ladies, they need lightbulbs changed. I do stuff like that as well.”
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
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“A lot of licensed contractors won’t do work for less than $60 because it doesn’t fit their economy of scale. That’s my bread and butter,” he said. “Little old ladies, they need lightbulbs changed. I do stuff like that as well.”
Boo hoo hoo
I’m going to cry myself to sleep tonight.
WellFed, an organization that supports former federal workers, estimates just 25% of their members have found new jobs. One Aid, an organization of former USAID workers and their implementing partners, estimates at least 50% of their membership is still unemployed.
supported by govt grant?
Well, since Congress hasn’t actually cut the budget by what DOGE cut, they can probably get their job back in October.
He should lear to code.
Approximately 2.9 million people
As of August 2025, the federal government employed approximately 2.9 million people, making it the 14th largest workforce in the nation. This number reflects a slight decrease from previous years, with the workforce having seen fluctuations over time.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
So the federal government has been downsized by about 10%. When that number is NINETY PERCENT, then we can celebrate and the budget will be balanced.
The organization that speaks for them is called WellFed. That kind of tells you what you need to know.
What they meant is they could not find an employer who would meet their inflated amount of salary and benefits.
Burg was laid off as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development in January 2025, after a decades-long career that took him to Thailand, Kosovo and El Salvador.
Excellent news...
All these DEI experts, climate goons, and tireless bureaucrats need to spend a few years cleaning restrooms at the Juárez Chihuahua Mexico bus station...
A suggestion: Cut another 300,000 worthless fed jobs so the ones already fired have someone to talk too.
There is plenty of work to be had out there. They just don’t want to do it.
Men man up and do what they need to so they can support themselves and their families.
C what U did there F
Now do an article, with the same amount of tear jerking sympathy, on what happened to independent contractors in California when AB 5 was enacted. About a couple hundred thousand people out of work by the stroke of a pen.
Fine — unemploy more of them.
Not many private employers are willing to hire people whose only skill is finding ways to loot revenue.
Cousin Eddie was still out of work for close to 7 years in the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie.
Clark: “C’mon in 7 years he could have found some job.”
Ellen: “He says he’s holding out for an executive position.”
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