1. The Struggles of Former USAID Workers After Layoffs
Months after being laid off, former USAID workers continue to face significant challenges. These employees, once the first to lose their jobs, are still struggling to regain their footing in the workforce. With expertise in international development and humanitarian aid, they now find themselves competing in a job market that doesn’t fully understand their value.
2. Career Pivot: A Lifeline for Displaced USAID Employees
Wayan Vota, a former USAID advisor, created Career Pivot, a Substack site aimed at helping displaced workers search for new opportunities. Despite his extensive background in global technology initiatives, Vota himself is still searching for work. The site provides job listings, networking events, and mental health resources to help former USAID employees navigate the difficult job market. It also offers advice on how to translate their skills into terms that the private sector can understand.
3. The Personal Impact of Job Loss on USAID Workers
The layoff of USAID workers has taken an emotional toll. Many displaced employees report feeling anxiety, depression, and grief. For them, losing their job wasn’t just a financial setback; it was the loss of a career and a life’s passion. Sara Gopalan, a former contractor with USAID, surveyed nearly 100 other displaced workers and found that a significant percentage had lost their savings, retirement funds, and healthcare, with many also struggling with housing instability.
4. Misunderstanding of USAID’s Role in Global Development
The cutbacks to USAID, driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have sparked controversy. Musk has publicly called USAID a “criminal organization” without providing evidence, contributing to the negative sentiment surrounding the agency. Critics, including Bill Gates, argue that such cuts would have devastating effects on global development, especially in preventing illness and death in impoverished regions. Despite this, many Americans remain misinformed about the true cost of foreign aid.
5. The Reality of Foreign Aid Spending
USAID, which makes up less than 1% of the U.S. federal budget, is often misunderstood by the American public. A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 86% of Americans overestimate how much of the federal budget is allocated to foreign aid. However, when informed of the true spending breakdown, opinions shift. USAID has long had bipartisan support due to its role in building goodwill abroad, addressing global health issues, and preventing local problems from becoming international crises.
6. The Challenges of Job Searching After USAID
Vota’s personal experience in the job market highlights the difficulties former USAID workers face. While trying to secure a job in North Carolina, Vota was told that his skills didn’t align with the role, despite his extensive experience in convincing adults in Tanzania to undergo voluntary medical circumcision. It’s clear that translating international development experience into the language of the private sector is a major hurdle for many displaced workers.
7. Career Pivot’s Success and Expanding Reach
Career Pivot has become a crucial resource for former USAID workers, with over 12,000 subscribers. The site helps displaced workers update their resumes, search for new opportunities, and receive mental health support. Vota compares it to a startup, emphasizing that many displaced workers have spent their entire careers in international development and are struggling to define their value in the eyes of private-sector employers.
8. Layoff Trauma and the Emotional Toll on Displaced Workers
Psychologist Dr. Anne Justus describes the experience of former USAID workers as “layoff trauma.” The sudden loss of a respected and globally recognized job is a heavy burden, especially when the value of their work is questioned in the U.S. Despite the emotional toll, many of these workers remain dedicated to the cause of global community-building, and they are determined to find new opportunities to make an impact.
9. The Struggle to Find Meaningful Work After USAID
For many displaced workers, finding a new job that aligns with their passions and skills has proven difficult. Lindsay Alemi, a former USAID project manager, has applied to dozens of jobs but has received mostly rejections. She worries that her humanitarian work, which included efforts to fight malnutrition in Africa, might not be valued in the private sector. With housing and financial concerns mounting, Alemi is now facing the prospect of needing to switch careers entirely.
10. The Future for Former USAID Employees
The reality for many displaced USAID employees is that they may have to pivot to entirely new careers, something that is particularly difficult after spending decades in a specific field. While some workers remain hopeful they can adapt, the loss of such meaningful and impactful work has left them questioning what’s next. As Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, points out, some of these highly skilled professionals may end up doing jobs that allow them to do less “good” in the world.
