Nearly 500 federal employees in Colorado file for unemployment since Trump inauguration

Unemployment claims from Colorado’s federal workforce are piling up as the new administration slashes government jobs.

Since President Donald Trump was sworn into office for his second term last month, 474 of the state’s federal employees have filed for unemployment, according to data compiled by Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment based on new claims in its system. That’s more than triple the 135 claims from federal employees during the same timeframe last year. 

Colorado’s roughly 40,000 federal workers are in limbo as the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, axes the U.S. workforce in the name of cutting government spending and eliminating waste. Federal workers interviewed by CPR describe an atmosphere of chaos and confusion where many people don’t know whether they will be employed from one day to the next. Some workers were let go only to be brought back days or weeks later when it was determined their roles were needed after all.

The job cuts are rippling throughout the state’s U.S. government outposts from Denver to La Plata counties. Denver, Jefferson and Larimer counties have taken the biggest hits so far, followed by El Paso, the data show.

The unemployment claims are coming from various agencies throughout the federal government. Employees of the Department of Agriculture account for nearly 25 percent of the new claims in Colorado, or 111 filings. The Internal Revenue Service makes up about 18 percent, with 87 former workers filing to collect unemployment. Other agencies with job losses are the Department of the Interior, including the National Parks, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services and many others.

“We are committed to ensuring eligible employees get access to benefits while simultaneously helping them with reemployment support,”  Cher Haavind, deputy executive director with Colorado’s labor department, said in an emailed statement. “Our goal is to get Colorado’s skilled federal workers impacted by the recent reductions in force back on their feet and back into the workforce.”

For context, 3,259 people filed for unemployment in Colorado last week, excluding U.S. government workers. However the state’s private sector is far larger, making comparison difficult. The state’s total workforce is about 3.2 million people. 

Federal job cuts are ongoing in Colorado. Hundreds of federal employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were fired yesterday, including employees in Boulder.

Agency heads are required to submit plans to DOGE by March 13 about how they plan to make deeper cuts. Unemployment claims for Colorado’s federal workers are sure to keep rising, according to Ryan Gedney, a Colorado economist who publishes a substack about the state’s economic indicators.

“Colorado certainly won't be immune to this,” Gedney said.