A year after DOGE, former federal employees are still looking for work

DOGEA year after DOGE, former federal employees are still looking for workThirteen federal workers who were laid off during the DOGE cuts told NBC News they struggled to find work, had to move or took major pay cuts after their agencies were gutted.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency eliminated more than 300,000 federal jobs.Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 22, 2026, 9:00 AM EDTBy Fiona Glisson and Gary GrumbachAfter he applied to his 599th job, John Burg stopped counting. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.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.John Burg in Iraq for the U.S. Treasury Department in 2010.Courtesy John BurgOne 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.For more on this story, tune in to NBC News NOW at 12 p.m. ET.“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.”John Burg volunteering at Village of Takoma Park, providing free repairs to the community in 2025. Courtesy John BurgHe’s built his business to include some larger jobs, like a neighbor’s porch renovation, but is making just 15% of his previous salary. “I feel more connected to my local community than ever. More disconnected from my financial goals,” he said. And he’s not alone. NBC News spoke with thirte...