Social Security sacks 7,100 workers

The Social Security Administration began shrinking its workforce in early 2025 as part of a restructuring plan that set a staffing target of 50,000 employees, down from about 57,000, according to agency statements. The agency paired that downsizing with a public campaign around faster customer service, including shorter call waits and more online use. By March 2026, SSA said its national 800-number average speed of answer had fallen to 7 minutes from 20 minutes a year earlier. The changes have drawn scrutiny because the agency handles retirement, disability and survivor benefits for tens of millions of people, including claimants who rely on phone and in-person help. ### Where does the 7,100-worker figure come from? The February 28, 2025 SSA announcement said the agency had set a staffing target of 50,000, down from a current level of about 57,000 employees. That implies a reduction of about 7,000 positions, broadly matching the 7,100 figure cited in subsequent coverage. The agency said much of the reduction was expected to come through retirement, voluntary separation incentive payments and resignations, with additional cuts possible through reduction-in-force actions. The February 27, 2025 notice to employees said SSA would implement “significant workforce reductions” and offered voluntary early retirement and separation incentives across the agency. That notice also said employees could be reassigned from non-mission-critical jobs to field offices, teleservice centers and processing centers. ### How did SSA say service changed while staffing was falling? (ssa.gov) SSA’s public performance page says the agency compares current service with March 2025 levels and estimates the reduction in wait times through March 2026 saved the public 13.5 million hours. The page says online services accounted for 9.1 million hours of those savings, the national 800 number 3.9 million hours and field offices 500,000 hours. (ssa.gov) In March 2026, the same page said the national 800-number average speed of answer was 7 minutes and the answer rate was 83%, compared with 20 minutes and 41% in March 2025. SSA also said 96.7% of year-to-date customer contacts were online or by telephone, underscoring its push toward remote service. ### What changed inside the disability system? SSA said on March 12, 2026 that it was bringing medical continuing disability reviews in-house and shifting work away from state Disability Determination Services so those state offices could focus on initial claims and reconsideration cases. (ssa.gov) Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said the move would improve accountability and help reduce backlogs. The same March 12 release said the backlog of pending initial disability claims had fallen to 831,000 as of February 2026 from more than 1.26 million in June 2024, a drop of more than 33%. SSA attributed that decline to process changes and coordination with state disability offices. ### Did outside auditors examine the call-center numbers? The SSA Office of the Inspector General said in a December 22, 2025 audit that the agency’s publicly reported national 800-number metrics were accurate and that overall telephone service improved in fiscal 2025. (ssa.gov) The audit said SSA served 68 million callers, either through staff or automation, up 65% from fiscal 2024, and attributed the improvement to a new telecommunications platform and staff realignments. The audit was launched after Senator Elizabeth Warren asked for a review in July 2025 following concerns about telephone performance. That sequence matters because SSA’s service claims were already under outside review while the agency was reorganizing its workforce and service model. ### What should readers watch next? SSA’s public performance dashboard continues to post monthly service data, including 800-number wait times, answer rates and online transaction volumes. (oig.ssa.gov) The next clear checkpoint is whether those monthly figures continue to improve as the agency operates closer to its 50,000-employee target and keeps shifting work among field offices, teleservice centers and disability units. (ssa.gov)