The Peach State’s most senior executive in charge statewide employment issues is the Georgia Labor Commissioner. The Commissioner and his Department manage all of Georgia and the United States governments’ rules related to work, places of work, training for work, and disabled workers. Corporations, companies, and employees look to the Department of Labor for direction and information on policies, rules, and laws in this area. Generally, leaders in these roles focus their efforts on activities to improve the competencies and abilities of employees. Skilled workers can improve the economy by working more efficiently and effectively.
4,000 people work for the Commissioner in all of Georgia’s 159 counties. While the primary headquarters of the agency are in Atlanta, there are agency offices all over the state, including 45 so-called one-stop offices that provide educational and learning opportunities for workers. There are also 53 offices to help job seekers, and 50 offices that provide specialized services for disabled employees in rehabilitative programs.
The federal government also has a labor department. The Labor Commissioner interfaces with the federal agency, particularly serving as the point of contact for the US Wage and Hour Division and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Many Georgians seek out services related to unemployment benefits. The agency coordinates the delivery of funds to those who are out of work. It also provides information on training and services to help job seekers. This service area has been very busy during the Great Recession. The current unemployment rate in the State has hovered around 10 percent.
Georgia’s Workforce Information and Analysis unit focuses its energy on tracking and presenting information related to the people and the work that they do. The unit provides a number of prospectus documents that address the short- and long-term forecasts for job opportunities in different industrial sectors. The unit also researches and presents data on employment development and training, and other materials that are of interest to those specialists in workforce planning and analysis.
One important role that the Georgian agency and all such agencies play is in promoting safe and healthy work environments. Georgia’s department provides a number of such services. They have extensive information on regulations related to ensuring safety in a number of specialized industries, such as HVAC, chemicals, amusements, and bungee jumping. The agency also plays an important role in coordinating a statewide group that provides voluntary consultation services to small, mid-size, and large business looking to improve their safety. One such partnership sends Georgia Tech experts to a business to assist in improving workplace safety.
The Labor Commissioner is an elected officer in the State of Georgia. Like many other states, Georgia has an elected governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. But they also elect a number of specialized, regulatory executives who oversee important administrative functions, including labor and employment, insurance industry regulation, and agriculture. The current Georgia Labor Commissioner, Michael Thurmond, was first elected in 1998 and is a Democrat.
Looking to find the most comprehensive information on georgia labor commissioner?