The freeze will take effect on May 27 and will manage the state’s finances as it is finalizing the spending budget for the next fiscal year.

Gov. Maura Healey moved Wednesday to pause most hiring in state government's executive branch in the face of what her office described as "widespread economic uncertainty at the national level and a tightening budget outlook" for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Citing economic uncertainty, federal funding cuts and fiscal year 2026 budget pressures, Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday announced a hiring freeze for Massachusetts' executive branch.