Insights

Introduction 

Recently, there have been significant shifts in federal funding priorities, which have changed the landscape of public and public-adjacent employment for thousands of public health professionals. Not only have programs disappeared, but people have also disappeared from the workforce.  Across agencies, abrupt cuts have left scientists, data analysts, program managers, and others jobless.  These high-skilled professionals, whose expertise has been sustained by public dollars, have found themselves in need of employment. Now that public support for these professionals has evaporated, private industry has a moral, social, and practical responsibility to absorb this displaced talent.

The moral case is straightforward.  Public and private industries are interdependent.  Corporations benefit from the infrastructure, regulations, and public goods that are maintained by the government, funded by tax dollars, and frankly, maintained by the workers who are being displaced. Policy actions may have temporarily destabilized this ecosystem, but to date, the cost of this instability has fallen on the workers.  Hiring displaced workers demonstrates reciprocity, a key component of a social responsibility framework that recognizes employees and communities as company stakeholders.

The social case suggests that hiring these workers serves as a form of strategic social risk management, benefiting both the workers and the stability and resilience of the field and the economy. Communities depend on the stability and contributions from the public and private sectors. Layoffs of this magnitude result in a loss of expertise; if these people disappear from the field and workforce, it may take years, if not decades, to replace their knowledge and experience, increasing market instability.  Furthermore, mass layoffs can have ripple effects, including reduced customer demand and increased unemployment at the local level. This can result in instability in dependent industries (private contractors, local small businesses, and health services providers). Hiring these workers limits the risk of cascading job losses, talent shortages, and the social costs associated with prolonged, mass unemployment (e.g., crime and homelessness).  Hiring these workers is not only an act of reciprocity but serves as a stabilizing mechanism for society and business.

There is also the practical case.  These displaced workers have amassed experience that they can leverage in the private sector business case. They have navigated regulations, managed grants, evaluated programs, and built stakeholder coalitions.  These are skills that are especially invaluable in highly regulated industries like health care.  This pool of talent are proven-problem solvers who can help organizations reduce compliance costs, accelerate innovation, and galvanize stakeholders towards action. Hiring these workers is not just socially responsible; it is also a strategic way to infuse the industry with assets in the form of highly trained, systems-thinking professionals with untapped potential for innovation.

Conclusion 

Industry leaders do not need to wait for layoffs to continue.  There are opportunities to intervene by providing sponsorship for education, employment, and retraining programs.  Companies can partner with universities to build the academic to industry pipeline, create or expand existing fellowship-to-hire programs, and frankly be open to hiring talent who is willing and able to be trained on private industry norms through first look hiring preferences or targeted retraining funds sponsored by industry organizations.

At a moment when government cutbacks are displacing thousands, the private sector can be part of the safety net. Hiring these workers is not charity, but an investment in social stability and in employees who know how to deliver value. Federal priorities may continue to shift, but industry’s commitment to the workforce and the public good should not.

Want to Learn More?

To turn this moment of instability into an opportunity, organizations must ensure that public-sector expertise is not lost when funding shifts. Hiring displaced professionals is only the start.  Supporting their transition into private-sector roles is essential. Public Health Pivot’s coaching program, Pivot to Industry, helps these workers translate their skills, gain industry fluency, and make a meaningful contribution quickly.

Investing in transition support strengthens talent pipelines, advances social responsibility goals, and preserves critical expertise needed for a resilient and innovative workforce.