Press Releases

Yesterday, Labor Commissioner Luke Farley visited Spruce Pine to meet with small business owners and learn about the community’s concerns related to Helene recovery and to see, firsthand, the ongoing rebuilding process.
“I want to thank the business owners and residents for taking the time to meet with me.

On Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, Labor Commissioner Luke Farley presented five awards to North Carolina farmers at the 31st Annual Gold Star Growers’ Meeting at the McKimmon Center on the campus of N.C. State University. The annual event featured an awards ceremony for growers who exceeded housing requirements as well as remarks from Labor Commissioner Luke Farley.

"Effective immediately, I am ending the N.C. Department of Labor’s (NCDOL) use of DEI metrics in evaluating the performance of the department’s hardworking employees. From this point forward, we will hire and evaluate employees based on merit and on their ability to fulfill our mission to protect the health, safety and well-being of North Carolinians.  

Today, Labor Commissioner-elect Luke Farley announced his incoming government affairs team who will advance the Commissioner’s and the N.C. Department of Labor’s legislative and budgetary agenda.

On Dec. 12, from noon to 3 p.m., the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program will collect toys at 4 W. Edenton St., in front of the Labor Building. This is the 26th year that the N.C. Department of Labor (NCDOL) and its Toys for Tots partners have co-hosted this annual toy drive. This year’s drive will be a “drive-by and drop-off” event.

New figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor, show the nonfatal workplace injury and illness rate for North Carolina’s private industry remains at a historic low for 2023 with a rate of 2.0 cases per 100 full-time workers. This is significantly lower than the national rate of 2.4.

Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson will convene a meeting of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Advisory Council on Thursday, Nov. 7. The meeting—slated to begin at 10 a.m.—will be held in-person at Randolph Community College’s Martha Luck Comer Foundation Conference Center.

Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson and MaryBe McMillan, President, N.C. State AFL-CIO released the following statement regarding Workers’ Memorial Day 2024: