‘Federal-to-municipal’ hiring initiative begins

As the Trump administration downsizes the federal government and leaves thousands of federal workers out of work across the country, a potential silver lining has emerged for local governments seeking to end years-long job vacancies in their respective jurisdictions.

The City and County of Honolulu has long been one of these “help wanted” municipalities. In a city that currently employs more than 10,000 full- and part-time employees, officials here say, as of Feb. 1, they want to fill 2,275 civil service vacancies.

To that end, Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Wednesday announced the launch of the city’s “Federal-to- Municipal Workforce Transition Initiative.”

The initiative will address critical staffing shortages across city departments while providing new employment opportunities for skilled professionals affected by federal workforce reductions, the city said.

Many of these people — displaced federal employees as well as professionals from nongovernmental organizations affected by federal funding cuts — possess expertise in key areas vital to the city’s operations, including law enforcement, infrastructure development, administrative services and climate resilience, the city said.

“This initiative is a win-win — it provides these workers with meaningful employment opportunities while bolstering our city workforce to better serve the people of Oahu,” Blan­giardi said in a statement. “By streamlining our hiring process, we are taking decisive action to fill essential positions and strengthen the delivery of services that our residents rely on every day.”

To streamline hiring, the city’s Department of Human Resources said it will implement expedited recruitment measures, including:

>> Streamlined application and hiring processes.

>> Accelerated review and placement of qualified candidates.

>> Targeted outreach and support for displaced workers seeking city employment.

To facilitate a faster transition, the mayor authorized DHR to waive certain city hiring requirements, as appropriate, for a 12-month period, ensuring a more efficient and responsive recruitment process. These waivers will be implemented while remaining in compliance with all applicable state laws and regulations, the city claims.

Also, as part of the city’s efforts, the following scheduled career events are open to the general public:

>> WorkHawaii Hiring Event, Neal S. Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 15.

>> Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1 to 6 p.m. April 11 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 12.

>> Career Expo 2025, Neal S. Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30.

Meanwhile, city officials say their efforts to employ more workers has no fixed target number.

“But the city aims to hire over 1,000 individuals within this fiscal year, with an overarching goal of lowering the city’s overall vacancy rate.” Ian Scheuring, the mayor’s deputy communications director, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

And although the Blan­giardi administration has claimed Honolulu’s 2026 fiscal year budget — which takes effect July 1 — is expected to be much leaner than city budgets of prior years, he said the city can afford to pay for its projected 1,000 new employees.

“The city will fill existing vacancies utilizing budgeted salary funds,” said Scheuring. “Costs for this initiative are expected to fit within existing city budgets.”

The city’s move to hire former federal workers follows Gov. Josh Green’s directive last week to offer new employment opportunities in local government.

On Feb. 18, Green signed Executive Order No. 25-02 to implement Operation Hire Hawaii — or OH-HI — to create a targeted outreach initiative, featuring the state’s own expedited hiring process to fast-track qualified candidates into job opportunities throughout Hawaii.

“The state of Hawaii is committed to respecting and valuing its employees,” Green said in a statement. “As we witness the very quickly changing landscape of the federal government, federal workforce and federal policies, this order directs state agencies to review candidates and make a conditional job offer within 14 days of receiving an individual’s application.”

Candidates who apply through the OH-HI project will be referred immediately to hiring agencies for consideration, the state said.

The state is recruiting for a wide range of careers, from engineering to IT professionals, planners, accountants, HR specialists, registered nurses and investigators, among others.

“The Department of Human Resources Development is committed to working closely with our state agencies to ensure that those looking to join our ‘ohana can do so quickly,” DHRD Director Brenna Hashimoto said in a statement. “We are eager to welcome those impacted by the changes at the federal level to our workforce, as we believe they will make an immediate, positive impact.”

For more information on the city’s Federal-to- Municipal Workforce Transition Initiative, visit www8.honolulu.gov/dhr/fedup.