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Gov. Glenn Youngkin launched a statewide jobs website Monday as sweeping federal workforce cuts threatened thousands of workers and the broader economy in Northern Virginia.
Speaking Feb. 24, 2025, at Capital One’s headquarters in Tysons, Youngkin presented VirginiaHasJobs.com as a one-stop resource connecting job seekers with openings, training programs, unemployment benefits and career support.
The portal is intended in part for federal employees displaced by reductions overseen by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. Cuts have affected agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Defense, Department of Education and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Youngkin said Virginia’s expanding private sector has more than 250,000 openings. He pointed to opportunities in advanced manufacturing, health care, space, education and law enforcement, along with public-sector jobs and retraining for high-demand fields.
“We need folks to take those jobs,” Youngkin told business leaders, state lawmakers and other attendees, citing employers ranging from Capital One and Micron to Northern Virginia health care institutions.
VirginiaHasJobs.com will feature positions in industries including technology, health care and manufacturing. It will also direct users to assistance offered through Virginia Works and Virginia’s community college system.
Northern Virginia leaders press for action
The announcement followed mounting calls for Youngkin to respond more forcefully to federal layoffs. Virginia has more than 192,000 federal jobs, including 81,139 in Northern Virginia and 28,388 in Fairfax County, according to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
Fairfax County officials have warned that widespread job losses could severely damage a local economy already facing a difficult budget year.
On Feb. 18, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, led by Chairman Jeff McKay, urged Youngkin to establish a centralized site offering job postings, legal help and other assistance. The request cited a similar resource created by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Fairfax County also launched its own resource webpage that week.
Youngkin said he has “extraordinary empathy” for affected families, recalling that his father lost his job twice during Youngkin’s childhood. One loss forced the family to move from Richmond to Virginia Beach, while the other significantly disrupted its finances.
“That’s why today we are very focused on launching an initiative to provide federal workers a support resource bundle,” Youngkin said. “We want to help you on your journey to that next great opportunity.”
Political battle intensifies over cuts
While offering assistance to displaced employees, Youngkin defended efforts to reduce the federal workforce as necessary to address government inefficiency and combat “waste, fraud and abuse.”
He cited the federal government’s $37 trillion debt and annual deficits of about $2 trillion, arguing that an organization facing such severe financial problems would inevitably need to change. Youngkin added that federal employees were not responsible for those problems.
State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat representing the 34th District, accused Youngkin of failing to defend Virginia workers.
“I’m glad Governor Youngkin has finally acknowledged the destruction to the Virginia economy caused by Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s recklessness,” Surovell said in a statement. He argued that job cuts, grant freezes and broader disruption could harm Virginia more than any other state, dismissing websites and slogans as insufficient.
The General Assembly is also examining the fallout. An emergency committee formed to assess federal job cuts and funding freezes held its first meeting Feb. 22.
House Speaker Don Scott, who leads the committee, said the consequences could extend from housing costs to transportation and suggested that lawmakers may need to pursue additional legislation.