The department now enforces more than 180 major laws and the myriad policies and regulations developed to implement them. These laws, and the department offices and agencies that oversee their implementation, define the structure of the department.

Some of the more prominent groups of laws include:

• Wages and Hours - The Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) sets standards for regular and overtime pay, affecting most private and public employees. Employers are required to pay covered workers at least the federal minimum wage, as well as overtime pay of 1-1/2 times their base pay. Wage and Hours limits the working hours and conditions for children, and oversees labor standards for aliens who are working in the country legally.
• Safety and Health - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforces safety and health conditions in most private industries, either directly or through approved state agencies. These laws are enforced through inspections and investigations. OSHA and its partner state agencies also provide training, education and assistance to employers.
• Worker's Compensation - A group of laws covering specific types of workers with industry-specific illnesses or injuries, such as black lung disease or maritime injuries.
• Benefit Security - Sets standards for employers who offer pensions and health benefits, requiring sound financial practices, appropriate disclosures and reporting, and security for the funds. This group of laws also includes COBRA - the law covering health-care continuation after termination of employment - and health-care portability.
• Unions - Regulates the relationship between unions and their members, including the protection of union funds, financial reporting and elections of union officers.
• Family and Medical Leave - Requires businesses of 50 or more workers to allow employees leave for births or serious family medical situations.
• Veterans Preference - Gives military veterans preference in hiring and job security.
• Government Contracts - Requires recipients of federal contracts or grants to provide wage, hour, benefits and safety and health standards for their employees.
• Migrant and Seasonal Workers - Provides protection for agricultural employees and those in other industries dependent on migrant and seasonal workers.
• Mine Safety and Health - Holds mine owners responsible for the safety and health of everyone who works on mine properties. The law imposes wide-ranging mine safety regulation, and is enforced by inspectors and investigators.
• Whistleblower Protection - A number of labor, safety and environmental laws protect employees who report violations, allowing legal remedies to those punished by their employers for the reporting.
• Employment - Other major laws focus on job creation and job training activities.

According to Secretary Hilda Solis, the primary DOL mission is "good jobs for everyone," an agenda set by the White House.

In its 2011 budget documentation, the department set out its role in the Obama administration:

"Job creation is a top Administration priority as it seeks to spur growth in the U.S. economy. However, it is important to promote the creation of 'good jobs,' and the Department of Labor plays a vital role in this goal by serving as a champion for workers' rights and enforcing statutory rules that protect wages, working conditions, retirement security and workers' safety and health.

"Specifically, 'good jobs' are those that can support families by increasing incomes and narrowing wage gaps; jobs that are safe and secure and give people a voice at the workplace and at the table; jobs that are sustainable and innovative; jobs that export products, not paychecks; and, jobs that rebuild and restore a strong middle class."

The department, through its Bureau of Labor Statistics, also provides exhaustive and critical data collection about all facets of labor - including employment rates and industry trends - serving much the same role as the Census Bureau in its own areas of responsibility.

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