This past year, we showed up for America's workers, job seekers and retirees at critical moments in their lives – morning, noon and night
Learn more about Secretary Walsh's travels and the people he met
Scroll down to see some of the ways we supported America's workforce
In the morning, when they were with their families: We invested in the nation's care economy
Through ongoing education, outreach and enforcement initiatives we made sure care workers got their rightful wages and remained safe on the job.
We provided nearly $40 million in funding to countries working to combat exploitative labor.
Following our investigations and litigation United Behavioral Health and United Healthcare Insurance Co. Established a $13.6 million settlement fund to pay affected participants and beneficiaries and paid $2,084,249 in penalties for violating the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This was the first federal enforcement action since the enactment of MHPAEA.
During the day, when they were at work or looking for a job: We worked to build a modern, safe and inclusive workforce
The Wage and Hour Division recovered over $230 million in back wages to help workers, with a focus on industries where violations are more prevalent and on workers in essential occupations.
We spread the word about safety practices, training for all miners, and how the COVID-19 vaccine saves lives.
We issued strong worker safety guidance to help employers implement coronavirus prevention programs and better identify workplace risks. We did this by launching a National Emphasis Program focused on high-risk companies, and two Emergency Temporary Standards focused on keeping workers safe on the job.
We awarded more than $11.6 million in Susan Harwood workplace safety and health training grants to 37 nonprofit organizations nationwide.
Through our National Emphasis Program on heat inspections, and our efforts to advance the workplace heat standard rule, we kept more workers safe from heat-related hazards.
The minimum wage for employees on federal contracts will increase to $15/hour beginning Jan. 30, 2022.
We awarded more than $160 million in investments to develop, modernize and diversify Registered Apprenticeship to ensure more workers get the quality training they need to succeed in good-paying jobs.
At transition periods in life, whether that be re-entry, returning home from service, reskilling mid-career, or retirement: We supported a lifetime of worker empowerment
We have begun to promote equity, fight fraud and modernize the unemployment insurance system through $260 million in funding to help states identify inequities, enhance public awareness and improve delivery of UI benefits. We also awarded $195.7 million to states and territories to help them detect and combat fraud and set up a new office to help modernize and reform the unemployment insurance system. These grants, along with other streams of direct assistance to states, have set us on a path to a more modern, equitable system.
The Employee Benefits Security Administration recovered more than $2.4 billion for plans, participants and beneficiaries in FY 2021.
Through a COBRA premium assistance program, eligible workers could keep their health insurance at no cost to them.
Our Veterans' Employment and Training Service provided critical services to veterans and military spouses.