Meet the former federal workers documenting their unemployment online
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Former D.C.-area federal workers job hunting after DOGE layoffs are documenting their unemployment journeys online.
The big picture: Washington's job market has become uber-competitive as swaths of laid-off feds vie for the same positions.
- And employers nationwide have slowed hiring to the lowest rate since March 2020.
Meanwhile, young workers across the country are increasingly sharing their layoffs via viral social media posts — in some cases, the actual moment they're let go.
State of play: Some locals are sharing their experiences being fired by the government or their subsequent job searches, while others are documenting the new paths they've taken after the federal shakeup.
Zoom in: Victoria Chege, 25, got over a million views on the TikTok she posted in February, in which she does her makeup as she details her layoff from the Department of Health and Human Services, where she worked as an analyst.
- Since then, she's posted TikToks sharing resources for fired federal employees and updates on the job market, as well as pivoted to making content commenting on political news.
Chege has moved back in with her parents in Northern Virginia as she job hunts — she estimates she's applied to over 100 positions and only received a couple of first-round interviews.
- But sharing her experience has helped her mental health. "I was doing it so other people don't feel alone," she says of her TikTok. "[But] it's definitely helping me not to feel alone."
Nicole DeCastro, 34, has had a similar experience while documenting her unemployment on Instagram and TikTok after being let go from her USAID program officer job in March.
- Her posts about the competitiveness of the employment landscape and how she spends her days working as a fitness instructor while job hunting are filled with comments from viewers in similar boats.
- "It's cathartic to put out what I'm going through and see how other people are feeling the same way," says DeCastro, who also estimates she's applied to over 100 jobs, but only received a few interviews. "There's some sense of community in that."
What we're watching: The Trump administration is seeking to cut another 107,000 federal jobs in the 2026 fiscal year.