Evers announces recruitment effort for laid-off federal workers in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (Civic Media) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is announcing a recruitment plan in an attempt to hire federal workers laid off or fired by the Trump administration into working for the state government.

Evers announced that a series of virtual job fairs will be held in April to seek out former federal employees in high-demand fields, such as health care and engineering.

During an appearance in Fennimore on Thursday, Evers said that the recruitment effort can help both the displaced workers and fill roles in the state government.

“The federal employees in Wisconsin that are getting bumped out of their jobs, they’re doing good work,” Evers said. “We know they’re good workers, and we always have vacancies at the state government. We want to make sure they have a good landing place.”

Wisconsin is part of a multiple-state lawsuit seeking to overturn the Trump administration’s decision to issue mass layoff notices to federal workers. The lawsuit argues the firings are illegal.

“If there was no work, or they were doing bad work, then you could kind of think through that and make sense, but there is work, and they were doing good work,” Evers said. “They’re just taking a sledgehammer to make a point, which is really unfortunate.”

The virtual job fairs announced by the Evers administration happen in April. Registration is free on the Department of Workforce Development website. Here are the dates, times, and job categories being offered:

DATE	TIME	TOPIC
April 9	10am-12pm	Healthcare
April 9	1pm-3pm	Information Technology
April 10	10am-12pm	Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security
April 10	1pm-3pm	Science and Research
April 15	10am-12pm	Engineering
April 15	1pm-3pm	Social Services
April 16	10am-12pm	Maintenance/Mechanical
April 16	1pm-3pm	Finance/Accounting and Related Services

“Wisconsin is full of people who expect to meet each day with honest work, and our mission is to remove barriers to meaningful careers, advance opportunities, and connect talent with opportunity,” Amy Pechacek, DWD Secretary, said.

“Here in Wisconsin, hard work is in our DNA, and anyone who is interested in bringing that same commitment to the job is welcome in our state,” Evers said. “We are hopeful that these systems can help bring dedicated and talented workers to Wisconsin state government and communities across the state.”

NEW: We've launched a new portal and resources to support federal workers who have been fired by the Trump Administration.

If you're a former federal worker looking for work, we have a place for you here in Wisconsin.

Visit @WiWorkforce to learn more! ⬇️https://t.co/v0vfCwalGH pic.twitter.com/zU6h5xQIuk

— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) March 27, 2025

Wisconsin had record-low unemployment for several months in 2024, and so far through 2025, the state remains well ahead of national averages for workforce participation and unemployment.

Hundreds of Wisconsin federal government workers were among the thousands laid off in sweeping mass firings across multiple agencies over the past two months. Many of those employees were hired back on and placed on administrative leave as part of a court ruling, but the Trump administration is already planning on additional layoffs as part of a federal government-wide reduction in force.

You can learn more about the virtual job fairs on the DWD’s federal worker website.