A high percentage of the federal workforce is literally risking disease or death daily, as part of their jobs. Every day, 24/7.

They are heroes who’ve always been there, but whom many of us are just noticing for the first time. Most federal civil servants are either working from home or in a furloughed status. But all are getting paid.

By contrast at least 40 million American workers have been fired or furloughed and are seeking unemployment benefits. Many have been helped with temporary loans from the federal government. But there are some businesses that aren’t coming back — ever. Many of the relatively few companies that offered workers defined benefit pensions have pulled the plug on those programs, cutting off some workers in mid-career. They may have jobs when they come back but any retirement nest egg they have will have to come in whole or part from them.

A lot of feds who, pre-pandemic, were thinking about going into the private sector may have revised plans. Many people in the private sector, who maybe once looked down on bureaucrats, are suddenly anxious to join the ranks. As federal agencies get more authority to dismiss “nonproductive” workers, job turnover could increase. More openings for more outside candidates.

So what’s next?

Spend some time with my guest on Your Turn today, Kathy Troutman, who wrote the book, literally, on getting and keeping a federal job. She’s expanded her decades-old operation from the time people sent in paper resumes to the various avenues available today to find and secure a federal job. Where to start?