Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) saw an 18% reduction in headcount by the end of September 2025.
This is part of the Trump Administration’s overall ambition to reduce the size of government, which continues to bloat. Excluding the Post Office, there were approximately 2.9 million federal employees in 2025. Contractors are not included in this number, which increases the number even more. The federal government remains the largest single employer in the United States.
according to GAOMost SEC employees left voluntarily, taking advantage of an incentive. In total, 871 of our employees left, 599 of whom participated in departure programs. Some SEC employees interviewed by GAO expressed concern about the loss of knowledge and experience. The emergence of artificial intelligence may help alleviate some of the loss of corporate experience.
Investment management saw the highest percentage of exits at 24%.
The SEC is said to be working to manage the reduction. The SEC also initiated an amendment to reduce work from home (telecommuting), which has been prevalent during the Biden administration.
In short, the SEC currently has approximately 4,000 employees; This is the lowest number of employees since 2014. In 2024, the SEC had the highest number of employees at 4,920, an increase each year under the Biden administration.
