Department of Labor

Budget, Performance and Financial Snapshot Fiscal Year 2008

Who We Are

Mission: The Department of Labor (Department, or DOL) fosters and promotes the welfare of job seekers, wage earners, and retirees by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. We promote the economic well-being of workers and their families; help them share in the American dream through rising wages, increased pension and health benefits security and expanded economic opportunities; and foster safe and healthful workplaces that are free from discrimination. The Department?s strategic plan is available at: http://www.dol.gov/_sec/stratplan/strat_plan_2006-2011.pdf

Organization: The Department accomplishes its mission through component agencies and offices that administer statutes and programs. These programs are carried out through a network of regional offices and smaller field, district, and area offices, as well as through grantees and contractors. The largest program agencies, each headed by an Assistant Secretary, Commissioner, or Director, are the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Employment Standards Administration (ESA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Veterans? Employment and Training Service (VETS), Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC),* and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Department's Organizational Chart is available at https://www.dol.gov/oasam/doljobs/org_structure.htm.

Personnel: The Department accomplishes its mission through a workforce comprised of approximately 16,000 employees nationwide. Of the Department?s employees, 36% work in the National Office, and 64% work in a network of regional, field, district, and area offices.

Budgetary Resources: The Department's Budgetary resources for FY 2008 totaled $59.2 billion, or approximately $196 per person in the United States.


Budget Snapshot

Total Spending FY 2005-2009
Total Outlays
 Mandatory $35,093 $31,236 $35,873 $38,042 $41,967
 Discretionary $11,856 $11,902 $11,671 $11,610 $12,225
Total $46,949 $43,138 $47,544 $49,652 $54,192
$ in millions
Top 5 Programs By Budget
  Top 5 Programs
  Unemployment Insurance State Administration Grants Job Corps Workforce Investment Act - Dislocated Worker Assistance Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Workforce Investment Act - Youth Activities
2008 $2,746 $1,598 $1,474 $1,244 $938
2009 $3,488 $1,611 $1,493 $1,161 $938
$ in millions

Performance Snapshot

Accomplishments: In 2008, the Department was successful in: ?Obtaining 130 indictments, 102 convictions, and $3.2 million in secured or court-ordered restitution in union investigations ? most cases involving the embezzlement of union funds. ?Increasing employment and retention rates by one and two percentage points, respectively, for all veterans participating in DOL?s programs. ?Reducing the mine injury and illness rate for the fifth consecutive year, from an incidence of 4.26 per 200,000 hours worked in 2003 to an estimated 3.24 in 2008. ?For 2007 ? the most recent year for which data are available ? worker fatalities declined to 3.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers, the lowest fatality rate in recorded OSHA history. ?Increasing the average earnings for participants in WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker, Employment Service, and Trade Adjustment Assistance programs ? in some cases, six month?s earnings increased by nearly $1000 over prior year participants.

Challenges: For 2008, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (OIG) "considers workplace protection, accountability, integrity of benefit programs, and the delivery of goods and services as the most serious management and performance challenges facing the Department." The comprehensive list of Top Management Challenges and Management?s Response to those challenges for FY 2008 is available at http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/reports/annual2008/MDA5.pdf.
Financial Snapshot
Clean Opinion on Financial Statements Yes
Timely Financial Reporting Yes Material Weaknesses 0
Improper Payment Rate 8.6% Total Assets $89,900
Total Liabilities $22,600 Net Cost of Operations $58,300
$ in millions
  Footnote:* The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is a Federal corporation created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. PBGC's performance information is included in both the DOL budget and Performance and Accountability Report. To access the complete FY 2008 Department of Labor Performance and Accountability Report, please visit: http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/reports/annual2008/SEC.pdf.

Summary of Department of Labor Ratings for Fiscal Year 2008

 
                        FY 2008 Performance
Results per Strategic Goal
  Met/Exceeded     Not met but improved over prior years
  Not met target     Data not yet available
Budget per Strategic Goal
($ in millions)
Strategic Goal: A Prepared Workforce
Develop a prepared workforce by providing effective training and support services to new and incumbent workers and supplying high-quality information on the economy and labor market.
 
Sample chart
          
2008 Actual = $3,872
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Job Corps Entered Employment - Percent of participants entering employment or enrolling in postsecondary education or advanced training/occupational skills training in the first quarter after exit. 80% 74% 82% 73%   73%
Strategic Goal: A Competitive Workforce
Meet the competitive labor demands of the worldwide economy by enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the workforce development and regulatory systems that assist workers and employers in meeting the challenges of global competition.
 
Sample chart
          
2008 Actual = $4,503
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Workforce Investment Act Adult Program Employment Retention - Percent of participants employed in the first quarter after exit still employed in the second and third quarters after exit. 82% 82% 83% 84%   84%
Strategic Goal: Safe and Secure Workplaces
Promote workplaces that are safe, healthful and fair; guarantee workers receive the wages due them; foster equal opportunity in employment; and protect veterans? employment and reemployment rights.
 
Sample chart
          
2008 Actual = $1,415
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Mine industry injuries per 200,000 hours worked. 3.72 3.50 3.41 3.24   3.08
Strategic Goal: Strengthened Economic Protections
Protect and strengthen worker economic security through effective and efficient provision of unemployment insurance and workers? compensation; ensuring union transparency; and securing pension and health benefits.
 
Sample chart
          
2008 Actual = $51,460
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Unemployment Insurance - Percent of intrastate first payments made within 21 days. 87.6% 88.2% 88.4% 86.8%   87.7%
  * This measure was selected from a number of performance measures aimed at the specific strategic goal