Department of Labor

The Department of Labor’s (Labor) mission is to foster and promote the welfare of job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements.

• With rising concerns about workplace safety, employment security, and retirement income prospects, Labor needs to focus on policies to enhance workers' physical and economic security, while at the same time enforcing laws requiring employers to safeguard workers' safety, rights, and resources.
• Labor administers federal employment training and assistance programs and worker protection programs that must account for changes in technology, the organization of work, and the global economy.
• As the growth in the labor force slows and America faces a shortage of skilled workers, it is critical for Labor to have reliable information on how well these programs are achieving their objectives and allocating resources and how management and oversight of these programs can be improved. In addition, Labor must take steps to ensure that employers follow the law and that workers have the tools they need to make wise choices regarding their savings.  

Figure: Actual and Projected Labor Force Growth, 1970-2080

Source: GAO analysis of data from the Office of the Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration.

Note: Percentage change is calculated as a centered 5-year moving average of projections based on the intermediate assumptions of The 2008 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds.