Federal Workforce Morale Tumbles in New Survey as OPM Questions Data

With the cancellation of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) for 2025, the Partnership for Public Service conducted its own version of FEVS. The goal: check the pulse of the workforce in a year of major workforce changes, including deferred resignations, returns to office, the cancellation of union contracts, and other changes. 

The revamped survey was modeled after FEVS but was developed and deployed by the Partnership. While it’s not directly comparable, it contained similar questions. The survey was conducted on a smaller scale with 11,000 feds responding, compared to the 500,000 or so who respond to the official FEVS. Responses were collected in November and December 2025.

As for the results, employee engagement and satisfaction governmentwide was measured at a score of 32 out of 100, with 58 percent of respondents saying engagement has gotten worse since 2024. 

“We have every red light blinking across the federal government,” said Partnership President and CEO Max Stier. “Morale is as low as imaginable.”

Individual Agencies

Agencies needed at least 30 respondents to have scores reported publicly. 17 large agencies and 13 midsize agencies had scores reported. 

The Army scored the highest on employee engagement and satisfaction with a score of 48.1. However, half of those responding say they’re having a worse experience compared to 2024. The Army was followed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with a score of 46.1. NASA led the way in the 2024 FEVS with an 81.6 score. 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) was ranked lowest among large agencies with a score of 15. SSA consistently ranks among the lowest-score agencies in FEVS. Last year, it had a score of 54.2.

For midsize agencies, the Department of Labor (DOL) led the way with a score of 36.4, down from 71 the prior year. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) placed last with a score of 8.1, down from 71 the prior year. 

OPM Response

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) noted the 2025 FEVS was canceled “to refresh the questions and to avoid prohibitive costs” with the survey set to resume this year at some point. 

In response to the Partnership survey results, OPM Director Scott Kupor urged caution. 

“This "survey" had 11,000 responses out of the 2,000,000 federal workforce population - that's a 0.5% response rate. The average cold call telemarketing campaign has rates 4-5x that amount, so take this data with as large of a grain of salt that your stomach can tolerate,” wrote Director Kupor on X. 

OPM has said workforce transformation efforts are intended to improve efficiency, streamline services, and help federal agencies better fulfill their missions, according to agency strategic planning documents.