The General Services Administration (GSA) is embarking on a major hiring initiative, aiming to address the significant workforce cuts it faced in the past year. The agency, which oversees federal real estate, contracting, and IT support, plans to hire approximately 400 employees over the next six months to rebuild its workforce.
In an internal email dated March 30, Donna Dix, Public Buildings Service (PBS) Chief of Staff, outlined the agency’s strategic hiring plans. Dix explained that the hiring efforts approved by GSA’s Strategic Hiring Committee aim to address critical workforce needs and create advancement opportunities within the PBS. "This strategic initiative will create a variety of opportunities, including merit promotions and leadership roles for career advancement, as well as external hiring to bring in critical resources. This comprehensive approach represents a significant investment in PBS’s future", Dix wrote in the email.
The hiring push will target areas of greatest need, such as facilities management, acquisition, and project management, and will include opportunities for internal employees to grow within the organization. According to Dix, this effort is designed to ensure that PBS has "the right talent in the right places."
Workforce Cuts and Challenges
Since October 2024, GSA has experienced significant workforce reductions, with nearly 40% of its total staff being cut. PBS, in particular, faced deep reductions, with entire regional offices eliminated as part of these measures. At one point, the agency had proposed a 63% reduction in the PBS workforce, though it ultimately scaled back those plans.
The past year also saw GSA disposing of 90 federal buildings, reducing its real estate portfolio by 3 million square feet. These sales generated $182 million in proceeds while avoiding $415 million in repair and operating costs. However, the pace of workforce reductions outstripped the agency’s ability to downsize its office space, creating additional challenges for operations and services.
Return-to-Office Compliance and Occupancy Tracking
As it rebuilds its workforce, GSA is also reintroducing a "daily check-in" system for employees to confirm their in-office attendance. This measure aims to ensure compliance with the Trump administration’s mandate for federal employees to return to full-time office work. In an email sent last Friday, GSA Deputy Administrator Mike Lynch emphasized the importance of the daily check-ins for meeting occupancy benchmarks and tracking building usage data.
"We’ve learned a lot about employee reporting and space optimization over the course of the last year, particularly when it comes to our own infrastructure and the reliance on technology and badge tools that don’t always fully capture accurate data", Lynch wrote. Employees must report their attendance using a Google form, specifying whether they are working in their assigned building, a different federal building, teleworking, or on leave. Weekly snapshots of approved telework or leave schedules are also required.
Despite efforts to automate occupancy data collection, Lynch acknowledged that previous methods did not meet expectations. The return to manual reporting is intended to strengthen GSA’s ability to meet the governmentwide occupancy requirement of 60%, though recent data shows that none of the 9,700 federal buildings monitored by GSA currently meet this target.
GSA Leadership and Dual Roles
In addition to managing these workforce and operational challenges, GSA Administrator Ed Forst is now serving as the acting head of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This dual role follows the resignation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting national archivist in February, after exceeding limits set by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. NARA has not had a permanent leader under the Trump administration, though President Donald Trump recently nominated Bradford Wilson for the position.
Forst assured GSA employees in an email that his dual responsibilities would not impede the agency’s operations. "I want to be clear about what this means for GSA: our mission, priorities, and organizational structure remain unchanged", he wrote. A similar message was sent to NARA employees.
Looking Ahead
While GSA moves forward with its hiring plans, it is also focused on recruiting early-career talent. The agency is seeking 54 candidates for its Federal Acquisition Service’s (FAS) Acquisition Talent Development program, which is designed for recent graduates. This initiative complements FAS’s ongoing efforts to streamline governmentwide services and expand its role in federal contracting.
As GSA works to stabilize its workforce and meet federal mandates, the success of these initiatives will be critical to ensuring the agency can continue to fulfill its mission effectively.
