# OPM Struggles to Attract Young Workers

A community discussion describes challenges attracting early-career workers to federal service, citing perceived job insecurity, stagnant pay, rising benefit costs, reduced telework and schedule flexibility, and criticism of federal employees. The post quotes Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressing surprise at weak youth interest and says the Department of Transportation had shed more than 4,000 employees since 2024; these are community-reported claims, not independently verified findings. No specific procurement opportunity is identified, but staffing constraints could affect agencies’ capacity to manage programs and oversee contracts.

- Procurement teams may face continuity and workload risks if staffing challenges affect acquisition, program-management, or contract-oversight capacity.
- Agency and contractor planning can account for possible capacity constraints when estimating timelines and dependencies; the signal does not identify specific affected procurements or contract changes.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** November 13, 2026

### Government Entities
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

### Key Quotes
> I joined in late 2020 as a new college grad and life was good until about January 2025. Then things became very difficult, so I left for the private sector for improved conditions across the board: higher pay, more autonomy, better benefits, and telework.
> — Community member (username not provided)

> I find it fascinating that more young people don’t want to apply. We’re begging for people to come in.
> — Sean Duffy, as quoted in the post

### Sources
- [OPM’s federal hiring push runs up against young workers’ waning interest](https://www.reddit.com/r/fednews/comments/1xvjy7v/opms_federal_hiring_push_runs_up_against_young) - reddit-fednews