About U.S. Department of Labor

The Department of Labor serves all American workers. Its many activities affect virtually every family in our country. Our primary mission is to serve and protect American workers, prepare them for new and better jobs, and ensure the adequacy of America's work places. In serving and protecting workers, the Department of Labor ensures workers' rights, inspects work sites, shields workers from employment discrimination, administers unemployment insurance programs, collects and analyzes economic data; protects pension benefits and enforces workers' compensation and wage standards. The Department also sponsors training and retraining programs to help workers and veterans adapt to the demands for new skills in the ever-changing work force.