The labor commissioner is a state-level position in all 50 states. The duties of the position vary from state to state, but their general role is to oversee the administration of state laws relating to labor and the workforce. Duties can include ensuring that all workers are treated fairly under the law, overseeing investigation of non-payment of wages, the state minimum wage, overtime, and prevailing wage disputes. The vast majority of the states with labor commissioners authorize the governor to appoint an individual to the office, but there are at least four states who have opted to have voters select the officeholders.[1][2]
| Quick facts about Labor Commissioners
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- Appointed by the governor in 46 states.
- Elected in: Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Oregon
- Texas has a three-member board that serves this function instead of a single executive position.
- In Nevada and West Virginia, two agencies share the responsibilities of labor management.
- Salary range in 2022: $77,000 (Oregon) to $227,179 (California)
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Method of selection
Although labor commissioners are selected by the governor in the majority of states, four (Oregon, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia) hold elections for the office. These elections are nonpartisan in Oregon. In the other 46 states, the labor commissioner is appointed by the governor. In Nevada and West Virginia, the responsibilities of the labor commissioner are divided between two separate appointed offices. In Texas, the governor appoints three labor commissioners to a board, which carries out the duties of the office.
Partisan affiliation
The office of labor commissioner is nonpartisan in 47 states. The office is held by a Republican in each of the three states in which it is a partisan position.
Compensation
According to compensation figures for 2022 compiled by the Council of State Governments in the Book of the States, the largest salary for a labor commissioner is $227,179 in California, while the lowest is $77,000 in Oregon. Salary information was not available for Mississippi. To view the compensation of a specific labor commissioner, hover your mouse cursor over the state.
Current officeholders
List of Current Labor Commissioners
List of current State Labor Commissioners in the United States:
| Office |
Name |
Party |
Date assumed office |
| Alabama Commissioner of Labor |
Fitzgerald Washington |
Nonpartisan |
2014 |
| Alaska Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development |
Catherine Muñoz |
Nonpartisan |
January 31, 2023 |
| Arkansas Director of Labor |
Daryl Bassett |
Nonpartisan |
July 1, 2019 |
| California Director of Industrial Relations |
Katrina Hagen |
Nonpartisan |
2020 |
| Colorado Executive Director of Labor and Employment |
Joe Barela |
Nonpartisan |
January 8, 2019 |
| Connecticut Commissioner of Labor |
Danté Bartolomeo |
Nonpartisan |
2022 |
| Delaware Secretary of Labor |
Karryl Hubbard |
Nonpartisan |
January 20, 2021 |
| Director of the Industrial Commission of Arizona |
Gaetano Testini |
Nonpartisan |
August 16, 2023 |
| Florida Secretary of Economic Opportunity |
Vacant |
|
|
| Georgia Commissioner of Labor |
Bruce Thompson |
Republican |
January 9, 2023 |
| Hawaii Director of Labor and Industrial Relations |
Jade Butay |
Nonpartisan |
December 5, 2022 |
| Idaho Director of Labor |
Jani Revier |
Nonpartisan |
2019 |
| Illinois Director of Labor |
Jane Flanagan |
Nonpartisan |
February 23, 2023 |
| Indiana Commissioner of Labor |
David Redden |
Nonpartisan |
July 25, 2022 |
| Iowa Commissioner of Labor |
Rod Roberts |
Nonpartisan |
March 1, 2019 |
| Kansas Secretary of Labor |
Amber Shultz |
Nonpartisan |
March 31, 2021 |
| Kentucky Secretary of Labor Cabinet |
Jamie Link |
Nonpartisan |
July 1, 2021 |
| Louisiana Executive Director of the Workforce Commission |
Susana Schowen |
Nonpartisan |
January 8, 2024 |
| Maine Commissioner of Labor |
Laura Fortman |
Nonpartisan |
2019 |
| Maryland Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation |
Portia Wu |
Nonpartisan |
March 2, 2023 |
| Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development |
Lauren Jones |
Nonpartisan |
January 20, 2023 |
| Michigan Director of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs |
Marlon Brown |
|
February 23, 2024 |
| Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry |
Nicole Blissenbach |
Nonpartisan |
April 5, 2023 |
| Mississippi Executive Director of Employment Security |
Robin Stewart |
Nonpartisan |
September 30, 2021 |
| Missouri Director of Labor and Industrial Relations |
Anna Hui |
Nonpartisan |
March 30, 2017 |
| Montana Commissioner of Labor and Industry |
Sarah Swanson |
Nonpartisan |
August 14, 2023 |
| Nebraska Commissioner of Labor |
John Albin |
Nonpartisan |
2014 |
| Nevada Commissioner of Labor |
Shannon Chambers |
Nonpartisan |
December 29, 2014 |
| Nevada Director of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation |
Chris Sewell |
Nonpartisan |
January 11, 2023 |
| New Hampshire Commissioner of Labor |
Ken Merrifield |
Nonpartisan |
April 19, 2017 |
| New Jersey Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development |
Robert Asaro-Angelo |
Nonpartisan |
2018 |
| New York Commissioner of Labor |
Roberta Reardon |
Nonpartisan |
2015 |
| North Carolina Commissioner of Labor |
Josh Dobson |
Republican |
January 1, 2021 |
| North Dakota Commissioner of Labor |
Nathan Svihovec |
Nonpartisan |
December 1, 2022 |
| Ohio Superintendent of Industrial Compliance and Labor |
Robb Coventry |
Nonpartisan |
September 12, 2022 |
| Oklahoma Commissioner of Labor |
Leslie Osborn |
Republican |
January 14, 2019 |
| Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries |
Christina Stephenson |
Nonpartisan |
January 2, 2023 |
| Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry |
Nancy A. Walker |
Nonpartisan |
June 21, 2023 |
| Rhode Island Director of Labor |
Matthew Weldon |
Nonpartisan |
April 27, 2021 |
| South Carolina Director of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation |
Emily Farr |
Nonpartisan |
August 17, 2016 |
| South Dakota Secretary of Labor and Regulation |
Marcia Hultman |
Nonpartisan |
2013 |
| Tennessee Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development |
Deniece Thomas |
Nonpartisan |
September 30, 2022 |
| Texas Workforce Commission |
Bryan Daniel |
Nonpartisan |
July 29, 2019 |
| Texas Workforce Commission |
Joe Esparza |
Nonpartisan |
November 7, 2023 |
| Texas Workforce Commission |
Alberto Trevino |
Nonpartisan |
January 9, 2023 |
| Utah Commissioner of Labor |
Jaceson Maughan |
Nonpartisan |
2016 |
| Vermont Commissioner of Labor |
Michael Harrington |
Nonpartisan |
June 30, 2021 |
| Virginia Commissioner of Labor and Industry |
Gary Pan |
Nonpartisan |
January 15, 2022 |
| Washington Director of Labor and Industries |
Joel Sacks |
Nonpartisan |
January 16, 2013 |
| West Virginia Commissioner of Labor |
Mitchell Woodrum |
Nonpartisan |
2017 |
| West Virginia Secretary of Commerce |
James Bailey |
Nonpartisan |
December 7, 2022 |
| Wisconsin Secretary of Workforce Development |
Amy Pechacek |
Nonpartisan |
September 18, 2020 |
| Wyoming Director of Workforce Services |
Robin Sessions Cooley |
Nonpartisan |
2019 |
Election history
2024
- See also: State executive official elections, 2024
One state is holding an election for labor commissioner in 2024:
2023
- See also: State executive official elections, 2023
No state held elections for labor commissioner in 2023.
2022
- See also: State executive official elections, 2022
Three states held elections for labor commissioner in 2022:
2021
- See also: State executive official elections, 2021
No state held elections for labor commissioner in 2021.
2020
- See also: State executive official elections, 2020
One state held an election for labor commissioner in 2020:
2018
- See also: State executive official elections, 2018
Three states held elections for labor commissioner in 2020:
2016
- See also: Labor Commissioner elections, 2016
One state held an election for labor commissioner in 2016:
2015
No commissioner elections were scheduled for the 2015 electoral cycle.
2014
- Main article: State executive official elections, 2014
Three states held regularly scheduled labor commissioner elections in the 2014 electoral cycle: Georgia, Oklahoma and Oregon. Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries Brad Avakian won re-election on May 20, 2014, while Georgia and Oklahoma held their labor commissioner general elections on November 4, 2014.
2013
There were no commissioner elections in 2013.
2012
- Main article: State executive official elections, 2012
Two states held scheduled labor commissioner elections in the 2012 electoral cycle: North Carolina and Oregon.
Cherie Berry (R) won re-election in North Carolina and Brad Avakian (D) won re-election in Oregon on November 6, 2012.[3][4]
See also
External links
- ↑ Utah Labor Commission, "Utah Labor Commission," accessed April 13, 2015
- ↑ Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner, "Labor Commissioner, accessed April 13, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Live, "2012 General Election Results," November 7, 2012
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2012 General Election Results," accessed November 7, 2013
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