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The Department of Labor's current Strategic Plan for FY 2003–2008
was submitted to Congress on September 30, 2003. The plan outlines the
mission, vision, departmental structure, four strategic goals, and attendant
outcome and performance goals and forms the basis for the revisions to the FY
2004 Annual Performance Plan. The plan facilitates increased coordination and
fosters greater cohesion within the Department. Through these strategic goals,
DOL staff and the American public can see a direct link between the
Department's purpose, its activities, and its vision for the future.
The Department began its formal strategic and performance planning
process in 1997. A Strategic and Performance Planning Workgroup comprised of
representatives of the major DOL agencies develops the Department's Annual
Performance Plans and periodically updates and revises the Strategic Plan. To
shepherd and synchronize implementation activities to comply with the
Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Secretary Chao
established the Center for Program Planning and Results, in support of her
commitment to a results-driven Department of Labor. The Department has
emphasized continuous improvement in the outcome focus of goals and performance
measures as well as the effectiveness of strategies in achieving higher levels
of performance during the development of each succeeding plan. Program Reviews
with Agency executives are held to evaluate progress towards current annual
performance goals.
The Department's Strategic Plan which sets the long-term objectives and
direction of core mission responsibilities was originally prepared in 1997 in
accordance with the requirements of GPRA. The DOL Strategic Plan was revised in
the summer of 1999, primarily to reflect the programs and objectives of the
Workforce Investment Act (WIA), and was finalized in September 2000, following
the negotiation of WIA performance goals with the States.
During the second quarter of FY 2002, the Department initiated the
process of updating and revising the Strategic Plan to highlight the
Secretary's vision and goals for guiding the Department to more effectively
serve the needs of the 21st Century workforce. The Secretary's
vision is to ensure that all American workers have as fulfilling and
financially rewarding a career as they aspire to have and to make sure that no
worker is left behind in the dynamic, global economy of the new millennium.
Both workers and employers will confront a continuing shift from manufacturing
to service jobs, requiring a more skilled workforce.
The Department of Labor, for its part, will need to adapt its strategic
direction and practices to recognize the changing nature of the 21st
Century workforce and workplace. For example, the Department's new strategies
will feature the use of a variety of educational and compliance assistance
approaches to persuade a much larger proportion of employers than can be
reached through traditional inspection programs of the value of providing a
safe and healthful work environment where all workers have opportunities for
rewarding careers. The Department will also expand choices and improve the
results of our programs, for example, by enlisting the participation of
faith-based and community organizations to offer their services to workers
seeking DOL assistance.
This FY 2004 Annual Performance Plan represents a bridge between the
Department's FY 1999–2004 Strategic Plan and the newly published FY
2003–2008 Strategic Plan. The Department has retained its three strategic
goals — A Prepared Workforce, A Secure Workforce, and Quality
Workplaces — and added the fourth goal — A Competitive
Workforce, to express the Secretary's vision that America's workers,
with leadership and support from the Department, will be positioned to maximize
the opportunities afforded by the dynamic changes forecast as the century
unfolds.
2.1 Mission
The Department of Labor promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage
earners, and retirees of the United States by improving working conditions,
expanding opportunities for training and profitable employment, protecting
retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers,
strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment,
prices, and other national economic measurements.
2.2 Vision
The Department of Labor will help workers and their families share in
the American dream through better wages, more secure pensions and health
benefits, and expanded economic opportunities while fostering safe and
healthful workplaces that are free from discrimination.
2.3 DOL Strategic Goals
Through the strategic goals referenced in the introduction to Section 2
above, the Department, its partners, and the American public can see a direct
link between the Department's mission and its activities. Associated with each
of these goals are specific programs designed to implement the Department of
Labor's core responsibilities. These programs are highlighted under the
appropriate strategic goal in Section 4, FY 2004 Performance Goals, Strategies
and Cross-Cutting Programs.
2.4 DOL Organization
The Department of Labor is organized into major program areas, or
agencies, each headed by an Assistant Secretary or other agency head that
administers the various statutes and programs for which the Department is
responsible. These programs are carried out through a network of regional
offices and a series of field, district, and area offices, as well as, in some
cases, through local-level grantees and contractors. Some of these agencies are
directly responsible for the achievement of the goals described in this plan,
while others provide indirect support. The agencies are listed in alphabetical
order.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)
- Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI)
- Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
- Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
- Employment Standards Administration (ESA)
- Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
- Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP)
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
(OASAM)
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP)
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)
- Office of Inspector General (OIG)
- Office of the Solicitor (SOL)
- Office of the 21st Century Workforce
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
- Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)
- Women's Bureau (WB)
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