Mass layoffs within the federal government have left many Alaskans unemployed, while others fear they could be next. Dozens of US Forest Service employees in Alaska learned last week that their jobs would be eliminated if they were still in their probationary period.
Now, federal employees across the state worry that similar terminations could come as soon as Tuesday. An employee, Morgan Saladino, talked about the anxiety of anticipating potential Alaska’s federal layoffs.
“We have been stressed. It’s not getting any easier, you know, but we’re doing our best to kind of show up and do our jobs every day,” stated Saladino as she remains uncertain about her job security, especially after learning that her agency compiled a list of probationary employees.
Despite strong performance reviews, Jillian Jablonski, a US Forest Service worker, already received notice that her job had been terminated. Just weeks before the cuts, her supervisor assured her she would remain employed beyond the probationary period.
Before Alaska’s federal layoffs, her department was having trouble hiring seasonal personnel due to budget restrictions. Now that she no longer has a job, her future is unknown. “I’ve never been suddenly unemployed and not have a job lined up,” she explained.
Saladino worries about how these government cutbacks in Alaska will affect the state. “Because I mean, so many employees are federal or work with public lands or the fisheries as I work for, and a lot of stuff is super important to the Alaskan economy.” She hopes Alaskans will recognize the far-reaching effects of these layoffs and advocate for solutions before the situation worsens.
This news article was originally published by Alaska´s News Source.
