A Gallup report has found that federal hiring in July is at an all-time low and could the result of sequestration going into effect in March.
The polling firm said that only 25 percent of surveyed federal workers reported that their agency was hiring in July, Gallup said Wednesday.
Gallup noted that July 2013’s -17 index score is actually lower than July 2012’s -10 score. This year’s June index score was posted at -5.
Gallup said that federal sequestration is “a key explanation” for the perceived decline in federal hiring.
“It is possible that the pace of furloughs and layoffs increased in July as federal agencies moved to implement the staffing component of budget cuts,” Gallup added.
However, both state and local governments posted job creation index scores of 12.
Additionally, Gallup data shows that overall job creation in the country is “at a relatively high level in recent months and up slightly compared with a year ago.”
In March, Gallup reported that federal agencies posted a -18 job creation index, the lowest score since August 2008.
