Department of Labor
- proper noun
- /dɪˈpɑrtmənt əv ˈleɪbər/
- Formal
- Unemployment is up, says the Department of Labor... ...with nearly 200,000 more claims for unemployment last month.
- U.S. Department of Labor
- United States Department of Labor
- US Department of Labor
Examples
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Gruber says a recent action by the U.S. Department of Labor will give employers more impetus to continue this trend.
Academic text (2008) -
CTE teachers identify and use the most current guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor and their school district on apprenticeship programs.
Academic text (2015) -
In partnership with the Department of Labor, I led a study that changed my life.
Academic text (1996) -
News releases from the U.S. Department of Labor are accessible on the Internet.
Blog text (26) -
Public meetings between the Department of Treasury and the Department of Labor have been held on the subject.
Blog text (22) -
The workforce program began as a collaboration and partnership between NIST and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Academic text (1996) -
Department of Labor statistics indicate it's one of the fastest-growing professions.
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According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate has decreased significantly over the last year.
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The Department of Labor released new guidelines to improve workplace safety and employee wellbeing.
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Every year, the Department of Labor publishes reports on labor force statistics to inform the public about job market trends.
Synonyms
A United States government department that protects workers and makes rules about work
A part of the United States government that helps workers and improves their working conditions
A United States government department that makes rules and helps people at work
Surface Forms
Morphology
department + of + Labor
The phrase is compositionally built from 'department' (an organizational unit) + 'of' (relational) + 'labor' (work/workers), so its meaning as an organizational body responsible for labor/work issues is directly inferable. The 'department of X' pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard noun-of-noun naming, making it transparent to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
Department of Labor comes from simple parts: department means a part of the government and labor means 'work' or 'workers'. It began as a government office to help and protect people at work, so today Department of Labor refers to the agency that looks after 'workers' and 'working conditions'.