Justice, DoD SSA to Be Big Gainers

The Bush administration’s budget projects executive branch employment of 1,874,500 in fiscal 2005, up by about 18,000 from this year’s estimated figure and up by about 48,000 from the fiscal 2003 actual figure. Big gainers in the budget include the Justice Department, up 3,900 to 118,400, the Defense Department, up 2,900 to 650,700, the Social Security Administration, up 3,700 to 68,700, and the Commerce Department, up 2,100 to 38,200. The Agriculture Department would be the biggest loser, down 2,700 to 99,000, with job gains or losses in the hundreds at most other agencies. The fiscal 2005 projected figure is up 136,600, or 7.9 percent, from the 1,737,800 actual figure for fiscal 2001 when the administration took office.