Only ten days after taking office, President Barack Obama changed the way government-hired contractors can hire employees—which may result in less outsourcing of jobs by federal offices. It sometimes happens that the federal government will replace the contractor in charge of a program or task. On January 30, the president signed an executive order that now requires new federal contractors who are awarded these “follow-on” contracts to hire the employees of the former contractor that used to hold the contract. The rationale provided by the White House is that the new rule will help maintain continuity in government operations when switching contractors, by making sure the same people who already know the task are kept around. “A carry-over workforce reduces disruption to the delivery of services during the period of transition between contractors and provides the federal government the benefits of an experienced and trained workforce that is familiar with the federal government’s personnel, facilities and requirements,” states the executive order.