Labor, Department of

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Agency Web Site: https://www.labor.ny.gov/home/

Mission

The Department of Labor (DOL) connects job seekers to careers, assists the unemployed, partners with businesses to help them compete, and protects workers and the public. Specifically, DOL administers New York’s Unemployment Insurance, Workforce Development, and Worker Protection programs. It also enforces safety and health regulations in the public sector, State labor laws and Federal statutes related to working conditions, wages and hours, and laws related to public works. DOL is a primary advocate for job creation and economic growth through workforce development, and serves as the State’s principal source for labor market information, offering a variety of services designed to help businesses find workers, and people find jobs.

Organization and Staffing

DOL’s central office is located in Albany. This office is responsible for the Unemployment Insurance Telephone Claims Centers and 96 One-Stop Career Centers located throughout the State. In addition, DOL enforces child labor laws, fosters workplace health and safety, and ensures that employees are paid in accordance with provisions of the Labor Law through Statewide district offices staffed based upon geographic workload.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2018 Executive Budget recommends $3.69 billion for the Department, reflecting a decrease of $117 million from FY 2017, primarily reflecting reductions in estimated unemployment insurance claims as a result of improving economic conditions.

The FY 2018 Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 2,992 FTEs for DOL, unchanged from FY 2017.

Major actions in the FY 2018 Executive Budget include:

• Extending and renaming the New York Youth Jobs Program: The FY 2018 Executive Budget extends the Urban Youth Jobs Program with an annual $50 million allocation over the next five years, through 2022, and formally changes the name of the program to the New York Youth Jobs Program, recognizing the availability of this opportunity throughout New York State.
• Enhancing the State's ability to recover unpaid wages: Legislation in the FY 2018 Executive Budget holds out-of-state shareholders personally liable for unpaid wages, as already applies in-state and empowers DOL to enforce judgments to collect these earnings. These measures will put wages back into the hands of the hardworking New Yorkers who earned it.
• Remove barriers to employment for New Yorkers receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits: The FY 2018 Executive Budget includes language that allows UI claimants to receive partial UI benefits based upon a claimant's weekly earnings, rather than days worked, allowing a claimant to earn up to $100 or 40 percent of the available full unemployment insurance benefit, whichever is greater, before any reduction in benefit. This offers a clear incentive for unemployed New Yorkers to take on part-time work as they search for full-time employment.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Human Services (PDF)

Program Highlights

Employment and Workforce Solutions: As the designated administrative entity overseeing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I programs, DOL offers a comprehensive set of employment and reemployment services to employers and job seekers. DOL oversees a network of locally operated Career Centers, which provide a single point through which job seekers and businesses can access such services. These services include employment, reemployment, training and retraining services for workers, employers, job seekers, dislocated workers, youth and Veterans. DOL also provides implementation and oversight of the National Apprenticeship Act, facilitating the development and registration of apprenticeship training programs.

Unemployment Insurance: Weekly income is provided to eligible workers who lose their job through no fault of their own to offset the loss of income while they seek employment. Quarterly payroll contributions are made by employers at a rate partially dependent on how frequently an employer's workers access the insurance benefits.

Worker Protection:The Labor Standards Division enforces the New York State Labor Law concerning the minimum wage, child labor, industrial homework, the apparel industry, domestic workers and seasonal farm labor. The Occupational Safety and Health Division protects private and public employees and the public from hazards arising from employment that are not covered by federal standards. Protections include issuing licenses and certifications for certain occupations, enforcing asbestos rules and regulations, inspecting specific industries' equipment, health and safety training for workers in the mining industry, performing mold inspections and providing guidance to private employers to help them comply with federal safety and health standards. The Bureau of Public Work enforces the labor laws concerning prevailing wage and supplements related to worker protection statutes, including public construction and building service contracts involving state or local governmental entities and Wicks Law.

Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs:The Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs ensures that DOL is accessible to immigrant workers and responsive to their needs. The Division conducts outreach to community groups, legislators, non-governmental organizations, and employers and workers to inform them of available services. It also conducts analyses of DOL policies, procedures and materials to maintain accessibility for immigrants.

Research and Statistics:Economists and analysts provide data on the labor market including economic conditions, labor supply and wages. The division is also the lead agency in the New York State Data Center (NYSDC) Affiliate program, providing the most comprehensive economic and demographic data for New York State to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 1/17/2017