In the nearly four weeks since Montgomery County’s federal workforce career center unofficially opened, laid-off federal employees and contractors have trickled in, with just a handful visiting the Wheaton facility each day.

But the center’s staff expects that, in the coming weeks, the number of people visiting the facility each day will explode.

Officials and staff members at the career center say the county must prepare for a potential surge in unemployment as federal employees who took the “fork in the road” buyout offers receive their last promised paychecks and as the Trump administration threatens more mass layoffs amid a government shutdown for which there is no imminent end in sight.

“Who would have imagined that we would be cutting this ribbon just nine days into a federal government shutdown?” said Michael Covin, director of the new career center. “That really underscores exactly why this center matters.”

Covin and his four-member team are hoping for greater awareness of the center following a press conference and ribbon-cutting commemorating the center’s official opening on Thursday.

Staff members say the center has typically received three to five people a day. They estimate they could soon see as many as 65 people a day.

In the first half of 2025, more than 4,000 county residents lost their jobs in the federal workforce reductions, according to WorkSource Montgomery, the county’s workforce development agency.

Officials hope the career center will help the county retain its talented workforce and support employers who want to hire locally.

The career center is within the existing Wheaton American Job Center and is part of Mobilize Montgomery, the county’s one-stop website for members of the federal workforce seeking local resources.

The center’s staff members have been personally affected by the federal reduction in force, too. Covin said it was vital for his team to understand what it takes to start over professionally.

“You needed to be a Montgomery County resident. You needed to have sat in front of HR, got the gut punch, the whole nine,” he said. “The empathy is necessary.”

County officials, who this year budgeted $700,000 for the center to accompany a $365,000 state grant, on Thursday billed the center as the first in the nation dedicated solely to supporting federal workers and contractors with career coaching, direct connections to new employment opportunities, professional development and skills training, financial counseling and other resources.

Since the center’s unofficial opening Sept. 15, roughly 100 former federal workers and contractors have sought help as they try to reenter the workforce and advance their careers.

Covin estimated that seven to 10 of these people have landed jobs. Another is interviewing for a chief-of-staff position at a bank.

Several of the people who’ve returned to work have ended up right back in the federal government or at a federal contracting firm. Some are just a few years short of earning their government pension. Some figured they might wait out the turbulence of the Trump administration.

Covin said he’s even had people return to the agencies that fired them.

The federal government and contracting companies are often the best match for their skill sets and experience. And several federal agencies are hiring.

Companies in some industries may be more hesitant to hire because of uncertainty in the regional economy.

A new placement can come with a higher position and better pay for some, including Morgan Mitchell-Brintley, who on July 1 lost her job of 13 years as a budget analyst for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

At the career center, Mitchell-Brintley received help with her résumé and interview style, clarification about the unemployment process and resources to manage her finances, particularly so she could access rental assistance and continue covering transportation costs.

“This support,” she said, “led me to land in a new career that actually pays an increase over my last position.”

She sees more professional possibilities, too. She’s finishing her degree at Morgan State University in Baltimore and considering opening a small business.

“I feel more confident and equipped to tackle this next chapter.”