President Donald Trump’s administration is encouraging federal workers to find work in the private sector if they accept a resignation offer that went out this week with the goal of shrinking the federal workforce.

“The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector,” the U.S. Office of Personnel Management states on an FAQ page on its website for federal workers who received a memo Tuesday offering them a chance to resign from their positions with eight months’ pay.

In Philadelphia, federal workers are left with anxiety, confusion, and questions about their job security after receiving the memo which instructs them to alert OPM, the federal government’s human resources agency, by Feb. 6 if they choose to take part in the “deferred resignation,” in which they will retain all benefits and pay — and be exempt from Trump’s in-person work mandates — until Sept. 30. Those who decide to stay are not guaranteed their position or agency will exist in the future.

The “deferred resignation program” is part of Trump’s push to shrink the federal workforce and impose greater restrictions on hiring practices and workplace protocols — an effort that is being led by billionaire Elon Musk, whom Trump has tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, a newly established commission tasked with cutting government spending.

In addition to the page on OPM’s website, the agency sent workers an email with the subject “Fork in the Road FAQs,” similar to a phrase Musk sent Twitter employees when he acquired the social media app, now known as X.

The email highlights several opportunities for employees should they take OPM up on their offer, like forfeiting their job responsibilities while still getting paid, accruing personal and vacation days, “travel to your dream destination,” or finding a new job in the private sector.

Private sector workers typically receive more pay than their public sector counterparts, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

But in interviews with The Inquirer, federal workers said their jobs mean more to them than just the salary they make, noting their personal fulfillment when helping a customer. And without the employees who are serious about their jobs, workers are worried the services they provide — tours, pensions, financial support, and more — will suffer.

“I don’t know what the summer season is going to look like at Independence [Hall], but there’s going to be a lot of people standing outside trying to get on tours that just aren’t going to happen,” said Dave Fitzpatrick, secretary-treasurer of the America Federation of Government Employees Council 270 and a retired National Park Service maintenance employee in Philadelphia.

Other executive orders from Trump, including a government hiring freeze and an in-person work mandate, are likely to have profound impacts on Philadelphia’s already stretched-thin federal workforce, union leaders say.