No Items in Cart 
On February 18th, 2026, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of a modern open data portal. Specifically, according to the DOL, the data portal makes information more transparent. The data portal itself is also an efficient way for users to access data on the American workforce. In late January, the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced the launch of several compliance assistance tools. These resources were designed to promote greater compliance with federal labor laws.
Quote from the U.S. Secretary of Labor
U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer is quoted as saying, “The department’s new data portal is a significant improvement, featuring better integration with other federal data sources and enhanced artificial intelligence compatibility for finding, visualizing and using data.
“This is a win for everyone – from data scientists and researchers to journalists and the general public – who want to understand our department’s work and enforcement actions. The new portal is a realization of our vision for truly open data at the department.”
Overview of the Open Data Portal
Markedly, the new data portal replaced the DOL's previous data page, which many in the agency felt was “antiquated” and “cumbersome.” Consequently, that older portal was shut off on February 23rd, 2026, and the new data portal took its place. Unlike the older page, which included only enforcement data from five agencies, the new portal includes a wider variety of data. Examples of such data include:
- National weekly unemployment insurance claims data from the Employment and Training Administration (ETA).
- Federal contractor veteran employment data from the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS).
- County-level data on childcare prices from the Women’s Bureau.
Lastly, the data portal also includes a visualization gallery and a modern Application Programming Interface (API). This API will enable data users and developers to access data through customized requests. Since the portal “soft-launched” in October 2024, more than 1,400 users have registered for a free API account. Meanwhile, API accounts have been used over 5 million times.
Employer Takeaways
In conclusion, the DOL wants employers to know that creating the data portal is not a singular event. In the coming year, the department plans to:
- enhance the portal’s search capability,
- expand data sets,
- ensure artificial intelligence (AI) integration, and
- add more tools to help users interact with the data.
Interested employers can register for a free account, explore the new portal, watch video tutorials, and find answers to frequently asked questions at https://data.dol.gov/.
