In response to the recent actions by the Department of Government Efficiency, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an Executive Order to help fill critical vacancies in the Commonwealth workforce with experienced former federal employees.

These employees have specialized expertise in important fields like civil engineering, nursing, corrections, accounting, and more, and the order directs the Office of Administration to accept federal government experience as equivalent to Commonwealth work experience for civil service roles, ensuring former federal employees with valuable experience can more easily apply for essential vacant positions with the Commonwealth.

As part of Executive Order 2025-01, Shapiro’s administration is launching a new website with information about state government opportunities in an effort to recruit federal employees into Pennsylvania’s workforce.

“Under my Administration, we’ve worked to speed up hiring, fill essential vacancies, and recruit more qualified employees who have helped us cut processing times, reduce wait lists, and deliver results for the people of Pennsylvania,” said Shapiro at the Commonwealth Job Fair in Harrisburg on Tuesday.

“Right now, Pennsylvania still has 540 critical jobs to fill – and we have an opportunity to recruit federal workers and veterans who have significant experience and expertise in all of these fields because they’ve held these jobs already at the federal level or in the military. Under this Executive Order, my Administration will consider relevant federal work experience as equivalent to Commonwealth work experience so skilled, experienced federal employees can pre-qualify for existing open positions with the Commonwealth — while continuing to protect pathways for veterans to continue their service.”

The governor also announced his support for the Civil Service Modernization Act (CSMA), a legislative initiative co-sponsored by Reps. Dave Madsen (D-Dauphin), Justin Fleming (D-Dauphin), and Nathan Davidson (D-Cumberland/Dauphin) along with Sen. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin), which will finally modernize Pennsylvania’s civil service system — a structure that has remained largely unchanged for over 80 years.  The CSMA aims to streamline outdated hiring practices, expand access to state jobs, and improve recruitment and retention while preserving the integrity of merit-based hiring.

“State government is the largest employer in my district, and I am proud to sponsor the Senate version of the Civil Service Modernization Act,” said Kim. “The proposed reforms cut civil service red tape to improve talent recruitment, make hiring easier and more efficient, and remove unnecessary barriers that tie up state and local government. This modernization proposal allows government to keep pace and compete for talent in this rapidly changing employment market. It also puts the commonwealth in the lead for attracting the qualified talent pool of recently displaced federal workers.”

“The federal public sector workforce is one of the most professional and qualified in the world, and we know that many federal jobs have similar duties to jobs performed by Commonwealth employees,” said Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver. “This Executive Order will help individuals with federal work experience find relevant job opportunities, continue their public service careers, and put their skills to work for the people of Pennsylvania.”