D.C.-area leaders launch initiative to help laid-off federal workers

Government and business leaders on Wednesday launched a new initiative and website designed to help laid-off federal workers find jobs and prevent them from leaving the greater Washington, D.C., region.

Unveiled during a launch event Wednesday and spearheaded by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the Talent Capital initiative and website aims to aid displaced workers in finding new jobs that fit their skills and interests. It also offers tailored training and career resources across the region.

The initiative has support from a coalition of government, and nonprofit partners across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

The Talent Capital’s services are free and are available to all residents in D.C. region, with focus on the 24 local governments encompassed by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

The Talent Capital website, TalentCapital.AI, is operated by D.C. software company BuildWithin and offers free AI agents that help connect users with job matching, training, reskilling and career navigation services. It also contains links and resources to job opportunities, coaching opportunities, local networking events and job coaching.

The website was launched in a year in which the Trump administration has announced plans to cut 300,000 federal jobs by the end of 2025. In an interview, COG Executive Director Clark Mercer noted that because the D.C. region’s workforce is heavily tied to the federal government, the Trump administration’s federal workforce cuts are having a disproportionate impact in the area.

As of early 2025, Virginia had 321,516 federal civilian workers, second only to California, according data from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. Virginia also ranks No. 1 in federal contract spending, with $109 billion spent in the state in 2023, 62% of which went to Northern Virginia. More than 441,000 jobs depend on that funding, according to the center.

As thousands of people in the region have lost their jobs, Mercer said, other states have aggressively been marketing to lure those laid-off workers out of the area. The hope is that the Talent Capital initiative will help the D.C. region retain its local talent.

All 24 local governments in the COG’s region are supporting the program, including Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.

While any job seeker can use the Talent Capital site, the jobs promoted are located with the regional footprint, with an aim to simplify job searches by consolidating listings that may previously have been scattered across multiple job boards.

“You’ve seen Maryland and D.C. both lose their AAA bond rating directly tied to what’s happened at the federal level,” Mercer said. “You saw CNBC rate Virginia the fourth best state for business, down from [No. 1], directly attributing that to what’s happened at the federal level, [and] the Weldon Cooper Center at U.Va. has said there will be no net job growth … in Virginia this year. So, these are all … not just warning signs, but like flashing red lights that we need to work together as a region … to be responsive, because it’s not going to get the job done just working in silos.”

Some high-priority career paths being promoted on the website include jobs connected to AI, big data, cybersecurity, health care and tourism. A long-term goal of the initiative is to improve regional collaboration across states and higher education institutions to align workforce training with in-demand fields.

“Talent Capital ensures that our residents can stay in the region they call home, access high-quality jobs, grow their careers, and drive innovation across key industries,” said Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement. “We are proud to lead this effort, and confident that economic mobility and opportunity will continue to define our region for years to come.”

In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this year unveiled VirginiaHasJobs.com, an online resource to help unemployed people in the commonwealth find job opportunities across the state. VirginiaHasJobs.com is listed as a partner for Talent Capital.

The Talent Capital infrastructure will continue to evolve based on user feedback, with new support and resources added on an ongoing basis, Bowser said.