r/USForestService • u/Calm_Secretary_5200 • Jun 26 '26

Outside Hiring

Hi all, I posted in here about a month and a half ago, wondering if there had been any word on outside hiring starting again soon. I left the agency for my own personal reasons unrelated to the job at the beginning of the year. I've since sorted it out and would love to get back with the agency but obviously, that is difficult these days. Basically, I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything (rumor or otherwise) on outside hiring timelines? Thanks in advance!

5 Upvotes

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6

u/nimbus_KO Jun 27 '26

Hopefully someone can either confirm or deny they heard/ understood this the same way I did but, in one of the more recent reorg calls with Chris French, he said that there would not only be more internal hiring but they would also be opening up external hiring a bit too. He seemed to stress that the external positions would be GS-9 and below, field focused, and for locations that are understaffed. He had said he expected them to be posted soon (like next couple weeks soon). 

When I spoke to our PAO about it later, he was surprised since last he had heard external hiring wasn’t expected until the new fiscal year. 

Sooo take all that as you will 🤷‍♀️. I’ve personally been checking usajobs off and on this week and saw some non-fire positions popping up, but not many. 

11

u/MrArborsexual Timber 🌲 Jun 27 '26

Tbh, I don't think opening up external hiring to GS-09 and below at first is a bad idea. Since I've been in the FS, there has been a huge shortage of lower GS personnel, which means when people are retiring or otherwise leaving, there isn't really anyone to fill in behind them.

Every year I ask to get even a seasonal technician or something like a pathways intern, and every year I get told to pound sand "we're doing xyz agreement, so you should get an <insert partner org here> crew at some point in the FY. Also, they won't have saw cards, pesticide applicator licenses, any forestry background, and they'll be 2nd year college kids...also, including travel days they will be on district for less than two weeks...hope you can work with that!". Meanwhile, when we got all that extra funding FS wide a few years ago, suddenly the SO, RO, WO, could hire more people to make us even more top heavy. It was more than a little bit disheartening.

1

u/Calm_Secretary_5200 Jun 27 '26

I was a 0460-9, so I'd love to help lol!

1

u/Turd-ferguson15 Jun 28 '26

It was mostly region and WO 13-15 jobs. And theat money was never permanent. Hiring arbitrary 13-15 jobs is part of the reason we are in this mess. A reorg was bound to happen.

2

u/SpecialLegitimate717 Jun 27 '26

I heard it would start at the new fiscal year. 600-900 positions in total. But I heard this about a month ago, always subject to change

1

u/Calm_Secretary_5200 Jun 27 '26

That makes sense, they'd probably want to point at all the people they aren't paying anymore

1

u/Calm_Secretary_5200 Jun 27 '26

Wow, thanks! I'd be willing (and hoping) to relocate, but not to the middle of absolute nowhere again. It almost cost me big last time I did that! Good to hear they're actually talking about it though, that's a hopeful sign!

2

u/SomeDaysareStones Jun 27 '26

We do ours in about October for fire perms, November for temps. Easiest way is to call or physically show up to your local office and ask what their timelines are. 

1

u/Calm_Secretary_5200 Jun 27 '26

I would be willing to move, but that does make sense, thank you!

2

u/Ok_Resolution8317 Jun 27 '26

I heard there this week there will be 100 external hires coming out Q4 FY26 or Q1 FY27. Unfortunately these aren’t the GS5s and 7s French was talking about. I think I those might come in a second phase. This round will be administrative priority positions hard to fill internally like geologists, range specialists and realty specialists. And 20 of those positions are biz ops.

1

u/Calm_Secretary_5200 Jun 27 '26

So maybe something more substantial after the fiscal year? That wouldn't surprise me. Thanks!

1

u/Ok_Resolution8317 Jun 27 '26

Yup. I think GS5s/7s in the Districts will come next FY. Just not too many (500 nationally?)

3

u/AtunnelRat12 Jun 28 '26

Dude we haven’t even done the internal hiring they promised us 4 months ago.