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When biologist Robert Prather was fired from his job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 early last year, he feared what would come next in his career.

But after he was reinstated to his role about a month later, his concerns were replaced by another source of trepidation: How his office would monitor and protect New Mexico鈥檚 at-risk species down roughly 25% of its original staff.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of folks who have left,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd then folks continue to potentially leave.鈥�

That strain is playing out even beyond Prather鈥檚 office, as federal job losses are mounting in New Mexico. 

The state lost 2,700 federal jobs over the past year, according to a jobs report released Wednesday, indicating that reductions tied to the Trump administration鈥檚 cost-cutting efforts seem to have taken effect.

Those losses pushed the state鈥檚 unemployment rate to 4.7% in February 鈥� matching its highest level since March 2022, when New Mexico was still climbing out of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Unemployment varied sharply across the state, according to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions report. Los Alamos County recorded a low of 2.3%, while Luna County recorded a high of 16.5%. Bernalillo County鈥檚 unemployment rate was 4.7% in February. Santa Fe County鈥檚 rate stood at 4.4%. 

Kelly O鈥橠onnell, an economist who closely follows New Mexico鈥檚 labor market, said the trend in federal labor cuts highlights how dependent the state is on federal employment and spending.

鈥淭his is probably a taste of some pretty serious economic headwinds,鈥� O鈥橠onnell said. 鈥淣ew Mexico is very vulnerable to uncertainty and volatility at the federal level.鈥� 

State government added 1,900 jobs over the same period, helping offset some of the public-sector losses. 

Private employers added roughly 1,600 jobs, led by the health care and social assistance professions, which grew by 2,800 jobs. Retail also grew by 2,100 jobs.

But those gains were partially offset by losses in industries tied to immigration policy, O鈥橠onnell said, with construction and manufacturing shedding a combined 2,300 jobs in New Mexico over the past year. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we can underestimate the negative impact that federal immigration policy is having on New Mexico鈥檚 economy,鈥� she said, noting that the construction and food processing industries rely heavily on immigrant labor.

O鈥橠onnell said inflationary pressures, such as rising gas prices 鈥� the consumer price index showed a 3.3% jump through March, largely driven by energy 鈥� will also likely be reflected in future jobs reports. 

鈥淭he profound uncertainty that I think many of us are experiencing has to be having a chilling effect on employment, if nothing else,鈥� O鈥橠onnell said. 鈥淚 expect that it will鈥� be (an) increasingly prominent factor in March and April.鈥�

The staff losses Prather鈥檚 agency has suffered over the past year have left them 鈥渁bsolutely strapped,鈥� with those who remain picking up 鈥渁 ton of extra responsibilities.鈥�

But he can also understand why senior employees with federal agencies are choosing a way out under the Trump administration.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a crushing thing that鈥檚 happening,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 suppose, for the folks who do want to get out, I can鈥檛 blame them, but yeah 鈥� we鈥檙e at critical levels here.鈥�

You can reach Matthew Narvaiz at mnarvaiz@abqjournal.com and John Miller at jmiller@abqjournal.com.