A labor commissioner is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States. Their general role is to oversee the administration of state laws relating to labor and the workforce.[1]
All 50 states have labor commissioners. In four states – Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Oregon – labor commissioners are elected statewide. Oregon elects labor commissioners in nonpartisan elections, while the other three states have partisan elections. In the other 46 states, labor commissioners are nonpartisan and appointed. In Nevada and West Virginia, two separate appointed offices divide the responsibilities of the labor commissioner, while in Texas, there are three labor commissioners on the Texas Workforce Commission.[1]
The National Association of Government Labor Officials is a bipartisan association of labor commissioners.[2]
List of current labor commissioners
editAs of October 2, 2024[update], the various labor commissioners are:[1]
| Office | Name | Elected/Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama Commissioner of Labor | Marty Redden | Appointed |
| Alaska Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development | Catherine Muñoz | Appointed |
| Director of the Industrial Commission of Arizona | Gaetano Testini | Appointed |
| Arkansas Director of Labor | Daryl Bassett | Appointed |
| California Director of Industrial Relations | Katrina Hagen | Appointed |
| Colorado Executive Director of Labor and Employment | Joe Barela | Appointed |
| Connecticut Commissioner of Labor | Danté Bartolomeo | Appointed |
| Delaware Secretary of Labor | Karryl Hubbard | Appointed |
| Florida Secretary of Economic Opportunity | Vacant | Appointed |
| Georgia Commissioner of Labor | Bruce Thompson | Elected |
| Hawaii Director of Labor and Industrial Relations | Jade Butay | Appointed |
| Idaho Director of Labor | Jani Revier | Appointed |
| Illinois Director of Labor | Jane Flanagan | Appointed |
| Indiana Commissioner of Labor | David Redden | Appointed |
| Iowa Commissioner of Labor | Rod Roberts | Appointed |
| Kansas Secretary of Labor | Amber Shultz | Appointed |
| Kentucky Secretary of Labor Cabinet | Jamie Link | Appointed |
| Louisiana Executive Director of the Workforce Commission | Susana Schowen | Appointed |
| Maine Commissioner of Labor | Laura Fortman | Appointed |
| Maryland Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation | Portia Wu | Appointed |
| Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development | Lauren Jones | Appointed |
| Michigan Director of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs | Marlon Brown | Appointed |
| Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry | Nicole Blissenbach | Appointed |
| Mississippi Executive Director of Employment Security | Robin Stewart | Appointed |
| Missouri Director of Labor and Industrial Relations | Anna Hui | Appointed |
| Montana Commissioner of Labor and Industry | Sarah Swanson | Appointed |
| Nebraska Commissioner of Labor | John Albin | Appointed |
| Nevada Commissioner of Labor | Shannon Chambers | Appointed |
| Nevada Director of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation | Chris Sewell | Appointed |
| New Hampshire Commissioner of Labor | Ken Merrifield | Appointed |
| New Jersey Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development | Robert Asaro-Angelo | Appointed |
| New York Commissioner of Labor | Roberta Reardon | Appointed |
| North Carolina Commissioner of Labor | Josh Dobson | Elected |
| North Dakota Commissioner of Labor | Nathan Svihovec | Appointed |
| Ohio Superintendent of Industrial Compliance and Labor | Robb Coventry | Appointed |
| Oklahoma Commissioner of Labor | Leslie Osborn | Elected |
| Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries | Christina Stephenson | Elected |
| Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry | Nancy A. Walker | Appointed |
| Rhode Island Director of Labor | Matthew Weldon | Appointed |
| South Carolina Director of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation | Emily Farr | Appointed |
| South Dakota Secretary of Labor and Regulation | Marcia Hultman | Appointed |
| Tennessee Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development | Deniece Thomas | Appointed |
| Texas Workforce Commission | Bryan Daniel | Appointed |
| Texas Workforce Commission | Joe Esparza | Appointed |
| Texas Workforce Commission | Alberto Trevino | Appointed |
| Utah Commissioner of Labor | Jaceson Maughan | Appointed |
| Vermont Commissioner of Labor | Michael Harrington | Appointed |
| Virginia Commissioner of Labor and Industry | Gary Pan | Appointed |
| Washington Director of Labor and Industries | Joel Sacks | Appointed |
| West Virginia Commissioner of Labor | Mitchell Woodrum | Appointed |
| West Virginia Secretary of Commerce | James Bailey | Appointed |
| Wisconsin Secretary of Workforce Development | Amy Pechacek | Appointed |
| Wyoming Director of Workforce Services | Robin Sessions Cooley | Appointed |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Labor Commissioner (state executive office)". Ballotpedia. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Hamrick, Kyle (2022-07-21). "Labor Secretary named National Labor Association president". WVUA 23. Retrieved 2024-10-02.