Who We Are

The Department of Workforce Services (DWS or the Department) assists Wyoming’s communities to adapt and thrive, providing a livable wage for families through sustaining income, fair and legal employment, enforcement of child labor laws, legal payment of wages, and a safe working environment for Wyoming workers.

To develop a sustainable and quality workforce, the Department assists Wyoming businesses and serves a variety of clients, including employers, employees, injured workers, job seekers, individuals with disabilities, families working toward earning self-sustaining wages, healthcare providers, child care providers, parents of young children, older workers, veterans, individuals seeking social security disability benefits, training providers, youth, and many more!

Our mission

To collaborate to support a thriving workforce and economy,

Our vision

To lead workforce innovation and invest in employee development today for a stronger tomorrow.

We implement our mission and vision according to our strategic plan, which can be found here. See our 2023 Strategic Plan Updates for the first quarter here, the second quarter here and the third quarter here. If you would like to provide feedback on our plan, please complete this form.

Divisions

The Department is structured into four primary divisions: Workforce Programs, Standards and Compliance, Research, Policy, and Communications, and Fiscal.

Each of the Department’s divisions are viewed as an integration of services following the merger of two state agencies in 2011. All divisions are either mandated by law or connected to mandates.

The Department’s programs are deeply impactful in terms of safety advocacy and enforcement, job connection and training, benefits to those who have lost employment, have been injured on the job or have become disabled, and enforcement of labor law. The Department administers 55 state and federal programs in 18 field offices across Wyoming.

The purpose of the realignment is ultimately aimed at bettering the mission of the agency, while providing a more efficient internal structure that will benefit both internal and external stakeholders.

Workforce Standards Division

The Workforce Standards Division is responsible for the Workers Compensation Program, as well as regulatory and compliance/enforcement. The following Programs are included under this Division:

Policy and Communication Division

The Policy and Communication Division is responsible for policy development/distribution, education, information, and outreach. The following Programs are included under this Division:

  • Communication
  • Research & Planning
  • WIOA Policy Strategy Team
  • Workforce Development Council Liaison

Workforce Programs Division

The Workforce Programs Division is responsible for the employment and social services aspects of DWS. The following Programs are included under this Division:

Through its 55 state and federal programs administered in 18 field offices, the DWS places emphasis on nine core functions:

  • Benefit payments: Assistance with financial and social stabilization for injured and/or unemployed and/or disabled individuals to ensure continued quality of life. Assistance with medical and indemnity benefits for injured and disabled workers.
  • Revenue collections: Initiating employer registration and collection of payroll information to ensure proper remittance of workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance premiums, and data capture to provide accurate labor market information.
  • Employee Career Guidance and Training: Assistance to assess skills, interests, and aptitudes to establish solid career pathways for all of Wyoming’s workforce. Create and implement programs focused on skills development for placement, retention, and wage progression/career advancement.
  • Employment and Recruitment: Assistance with job placement, retention, advertisement, and recruitment. Connect individual job seekers with employers who have identified specific skill and qualification needs.
  • Rehabilitation: Assist clients with disabilities to acquire and retain employment through specialized assessment, vocational counseling and guidance, physical and mental restoration, training, job placement, and professional development.
  • Regulatory and Compliance Enforcement: Investigation of wage claims and fair employment assurance, inspection of all mines and quarries, and monitoring of workplace-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses through inspection, consultation, training, and compliance.
  • Communication and Education: Collect data to provide accurate labor market information and monitor labor trends to assist with economic and workforce development. Collect and report information on work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
  • Collaboration: Communicate and collaborate with numerous local, state, and federal partners, including other agencies, councils, and teams, to carry out Governor-promoted initiatives and state and federal legislative mandates.
  • Employee Development and Retention: Connect employers with professional development opportunities to increase employee skill attainment through various grant opportunities.

DWS also administers and/or collaborates with other agencies, councils, and teams to carry out important Governor-promoted initiatives and state and federal legislative mandates.

Commissions and Boards

There are several Commissions and/or Boards that help govern DWS’ activities. These include the following commissions:

  • Medical
  • Mining
  • OSHA
  • Unemployment Insurance

The Office of Administrative Hearings hears contested Workers Compensation claims involving compensability, while the Medical Commission hears contested, medically complex cases.

Each commission consists of a number of individuals appointed by the Governor, and Wyoming Statute clarifies the power vested in them. The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) dictates that each state has Workforce Development Board(s) charged with directing federal, state and local funding to workforce development programs. Wyoming has one state-level Workforce Development Board which advises the Wyoming DWS and the 18 Workforce Centers in the State. In Wyoming, this board is called the Wyoming Workforce Development Council (WWDC) and serves in the capacity as “Local Board(s)” as well.

Data Collection

The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services collects workforce data through the following projects:

  • State Occupational Epidemiology examines workforce safety and health data
  • Wyoming Labor Market Information collects, analyzes and publishes labor marketing information