WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and Mr. Yousuf Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo, Minister of Administrative Development, Labor, and Social Affairs of Qatar, signed a memorandum of understanding today recognizing the value of cooperation and knowledge-sharing for strengthening protection for workers.

The memorandum of understanding provides for technical cooperation between the U.S. Department of Labor and Qatar's Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor, and Social Affairs to support Qatar's ongoing program of labor reform, particularly in the areas of labor inspection and protecting the rights of domestic workers.

Qatar has pledged to undertake a number of labor reforms in advance of hosting the World Cup in 2022, and in November 2017, entered into a cooperative agreement with the International Labor Organization. The Department's cooperation will augment and support these initiatives.

The mission of the Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs is to promote a fair global playing field for workers in the U.S. and around the world by enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. For more information about the Department's work on these issues, visit http://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab.

WASHINGTON, DC - Earlier this year, President Trump signed the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 into law, which included the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (OPEN Government Data Act). The OPEN Government Data Act, among other things, directs the head of each agency to "designate a nonpolitical appointee employee in the agency as the Chief Data Officer of the agency." Today, the U.S. Department of Labor created a Chief Data Officer (CDO) position and established its Data Board. The Data Board will place the Department of Labor among the leaders of data governance within the federal government.

The creation of a dedicated CDO position is necessary to help ensure robust oversight and leadership of the Department's data governance framework. Organizationally, this position is in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Policy (OASP) and reports to OASP's Assistant Secretary.

"The CDO will serve as chair of the Data Board as we transform our data infrastructure and capacity to achieve our goal of evidence-based policymaking," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. "We are pleased to put all this in motion so soon after President Trump signed this important piece of legislation into law."

The Data Board will serve as the Department's data enterprise oversight body for the development of coordinated Department-wide positions on data strategy, data management, standards management, and execution in conformance with any guidance on data governance issued by Congress or the Office of Management and Budget.

The Data Board will be charged with providing recommendations to senior DOL officials on the creation, implementation, and oversight of a data governance model that establishes authority, management, and decision-making parameters related to the data created, collected, managed, or otherwise controlled by DOL. It will also coordinate data-sharing efforts across the DOL and federal partners; additionally, it will collect and disseminate best practices and lessons learned regarding data management and community standards.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor released the following statement regarding President Trump's fiscal year 2020 Budget. The President's Budget supports American workers by funding investments in proven programs that lead to family-sustaining jobs, makes critical investments in worker protection programs, supports our nation's veterans, and reforms or eliminates ineffective or duplicative programs.

"The President's Budget would strengthen our commitment to creating good, family-sustaining career paths for America's workforce," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. "The budget expands apprenticeship opportunities, aids military families, and outlines government reforms that will save taxpayer dollars."

"The President's Budget released today will allow the Department of Labor to continue to support the greatest workforce in the world, the American workforce."

The FY 2020 discretionary budget is $10.9 billion. This funding, in addition to mandatory investments and reforms, supports the Department's integral duty to help Americans to meet the demands of a growing economy, improve working conditions, and advance career opportunities.

FY 2020 Department of Labor Budget Highlights:

• Develops a skilled workforce by investing $160 million in apprenticeships to fill family-sustaining careers in a job market with a record number of open jobs and create new opportunities in industries where apprenticeship is underutilized.
• The budget also proposes to double the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act fee for the H-1B program, using the increased revenue to expand apprenticeships in industries such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, and health care.
• Supports Transitioning Service members' move to civilian life by increasing funding for the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Funds would enhance the quality of employment support services for transitioning service members, with a focus on improved outcomes.
• Protects the rights of more than 143 million American workers through the administration of existing worker protection laws. This includes:
• $558 million for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) represents slight increase to help ensure workers are safe on the job, including additional resources for additional Compliance Safety and Health Officer Staff.
• $376 million for the Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) commitment to protecting the safety of the nation's miners while creating an enforcement structure that provides flexibilities to address industry changes and maximize the efficient use of resources with a $2.2 million increase.
• $233 million for the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) to protect the minimum standards for wages and working conditions in U.S. workplaces, a $3.6 million increase over FY 2019, to improve compliance assistance and ensure workers receive fair wages.
• $194 million for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), including an increase of $10 million to help employers and self-employed workers form associations and obtain health coverage in large group markets with more bargaining power.
• $49 million for the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) to administer safeguards for labor union democracy, including a funding increase of $7 million that will strengthen protections for union members by supporting more audits and investigations.
• Provides new parents with at least six weeks of paid family leave to support new mothers and fathers, including adoptive parents, balance the competing demands of both work and family. The proposal will allow states to establish programs most appropriate for their workforce and economy.
• Modernizes the Federal Employees' Compensation Act program by incorporating longstanding recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Changes will generate cost savings by simplifying benefit rates, introducing fraud prevention controls, and modernizing benefit administration.
• Proposes commonsense reforms, such as requesting Congressional authorization to cover the operating costs for foreign labor certification programs through fees paid for by employers who use these programs. This ensures a workload-based source of funding that places responsibility for funding the program on its users rather than taxpayers.
• Improves the Department's efficiency by centralizing administrative actions such as human resources, information technology services, security, and procurement, and eliminating or reforming ineffective programs. The Department seeks to continue modernizing programs such as Job Corps to better serve Americans. These changes will allow flexibilities to better allocate resources and eliminating duplication.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today issued the following statement regarding the February 2019 Employment Situation report:

"At 3.4% year-over-year, wage gains hit their highest mark since April 2009.  The year-over-year average hourly earnings growth surpassing 3.0% for the seventh straight month is good news for America's workers.

"The unemployment rate declined to 3.8% resulting in a year-long streak at or below 4.0%. The unemployment drop included a new record low for Hispanic-Americans.  The labor force participation rate held at 63.2% in February, matching the January report and the highest rate since August 2013."

"America's workforce continues to grow, with 20,000 new jobs created in February and upward revisions of 12,000 jobs from prior months.  The last three months saw an average job gain of 186,000 jobs. This month's jobs report highlights the importance of focusing on workforce investment that builds the skills needed to fill the record amount of open jobs."

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make more than a million more American workers eligible for overtime.

Under currently enforced law, employees with a salary below $455 per week ($23,660 annually) must be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours per week. Workers making at least this salary level may be eligible for overtime based on their job duties. This salary level was set in 2004. 

This new proposal would update the salary threshold using current wage data, projected to January 1, 2020. The result would boost the standard salary level from $455 to $679 per week (equivalent to $35,308 per year). 

The Department is also asking for public comment on the NPRM’s language for periodic review to update the salary threshold. An update would continue to require notice-and-comment rulemaking.

In developing the proposal, the Department received extensive public input from six in-person listening sessions held around the nation and more than 200,000 comments as part of a 2017 Request for Information (RFI).

“Our economy has more job openings than job seekers and more Americans are joining the labor force,” said Secretary Alexander Acosta.  “At my confirmation hearings, I committed to an update of the 2004 overtime threshold, and today’s proposal would bring common sense, consistency, and higher wages to working Americans.”

“Commenters on the RFI and in-person sessions overwhelmingly agreed that the 2004 levels need to be updated,” said Keith Sonderling, Acting Administrator for the Department’s Wage and Hour Division. 

The NPRM maintains overtime protections for police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, nurses, and laborers including: non-management production-line employees and non-management employees in maintenance, construction and similar occupations such as carpenters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, iron workers, craftsmen, operating engineers, longshoremen, and construction workers. The proposal does not call for automatic adjustments to the salary threshold.

A 2016 final rule to change the overtime thresholds was enjoined by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on November 22, 2016. As of November 6, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has held an appeal in abeyance pending further rulemaking regarding a revised salary threshold. As the 2016 final rule was enjoined, the Department has consistently enforced the 2004 level throughout the last 15 years.

More information about the proposed rule is available at www.dol.gov/whd/overtime2019. The Department encourages any interested members of the public to submit comments about the proposed rule electronically at www.regulations.gov, in the rulemaking docket RIN 1235-AA20. Once the rule is published in the Federal Register, the public will have 60 days to submit comments for those comments to be considered.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding Women's History Month:

"Women's History Month is a celebration of women who succeed in every corner of the American economy. The Department of Labor is especially honored to have the first woman member of the President's Cabinet, Frances Perkins.

"As we commemorate 100 years of women's suffrage, we recognize the women who are making history today by breaking barriers and thriving in leadership roles throughout our nation."

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and Hubertus Heil, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, signed a Joint Declaration of Intent underlining the value of cooperation in various areas of international labor policy and practice between the two countries. 

The declaration will facilitate cooperation in supporting international initiatives and sharing of lessons related to apprenticeships, youth employment, and the future of work; relevant global initiatives; and furthering efforts to advance women's economic empowerment, in line with the United States' new Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative.

In addition to signing the letter, the Secretary and the Minister met for a useful and constructive exchange of views on workforce development and especially apprenticeship in their respective countries. They also discussed the upcoming G-20 Labor Ministerial. 

The mission of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs is to promote a fair global playing field for workers in the U.S. and around the world by enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. For more information about the Department's work on these issues, visit http://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the selection of the Department's Continuous Process Improvement team for the Gears of Government Award:

"On behalf of the Department of Labor, I would like to congratulate our colleagues on the Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) team for earning the Department's first Gears of Government Award. These awards recognize the work of individuals and teams whose "performance and dedication support exceptional delivery of key outcomes for the American people: mission results, customer service, and accountable stewardship." This award honors the work of Bridget Keplinger, Idelisse Rodriguez, Maylin Jue, Arkesha Moses, Felipe Millan, Caterra Castile, Steve Richardson, Chad Hancher, and Anne Klieve. In standing up the CPI program, they have assisted DOL subagencies in streamlining operations, eliminated waste, and shifted resources to critical activities. We celebrate this team's excellent work."

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the creation of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board:

"America's economy is booming under President Trump's leadership. Unemployment is near historic lows, wages are growing at the fastest rate in a decade, and the number of jobs and job openings are both at all-time highs. To build on this momentum, President Trump created the National Council for the American Worker in July 2018. And 200 companies and associations have signed the White House's Pledge to America's Workers. They have committed to offer over 6.5 million enhanced career and training opportunities over the next five years.

"Today, with the announcement of the Advisory Board, the Trump Administration is taking another important step to create a comprehensive national workforce strategy. The Advisory Board members will bring a wealth of knowledge from across industries and sectors. I look forward to working with them to help ensure that American workers can acquire the skills they need to have family-sustaining careers today and tomorrow."

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative:

“The Trump administration continues to empower women economically with the launch of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity initiative.

“This initiative aims to benefit 50 million women from 2017 to 2025 through economic empowerment efforts and motivates private sector actors – both abroad and at home – to emphasize the critical role women play in creating prosperity. Economic empowerment of women has a significant effect on global growth as women invest in stable societies and promote a world free of child labor and forced labor.

“The U.S. Department of Labor supports the W-GDP initiative through its efforts to promote the development of in-demand skills among women in the workforce, the identification of entrepreneurship opportunities, and the creation of an empowering environment for working women to flourish in the global economy.

“The Department of Labor works every day to ensure a fair global playing field for workers in the U.S. and around the world by enforcing trade commitments and strengthening labor standards.

“As part of this work, the Department of Labor seeks to ensure that the workplace rights of women are enforced – through policy engagement in both bilateral and multilateral contexts, and through negotiations and enforcement of labor protections under U.S. trade agreements that promote women’s empowerment as workers and as entrepreneurs.”