About Us
Who We Are
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) protects and improves the health, safety, and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners and helps their employers comply with state labor laws. DIR is housed within the Labor & Workforce Development Agency.
Our Role
How DIR strives to build a safe and fair workplace and a thriving economy
| Improve working conditions | Defend Californians' workplace rights |
| Improve safety and health in the workplace | Keep Californians safe on the job |
| Ensure effective workers' compensation | Protect California's injured workers |
| Battle the underground economy | Strengthen California's economy |
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) was established in 1927. Its mission is to improve working conditions for California's wage earners and to advance opportunities for profitable employment in California. DIR administers and enforces laws governing wages, hours and breaks, overtime, retaliation, workplace safety and health, apprenticeship training programs, and medical care and other benefits for injured workers. DIR also publishes materials and holds workshops and seminars to promote healthy employment relations, conducts research to improve its programs, and coordinates with other agencies to target egregious violators of labor laws and tax laws in the underground economy.
It's all in a day's work for DIR employees ...
It's all in a day's work for DIR employees, whether they are adjudicating a wage claim for an employee who was dismissed and not paid final wages, inspecting a workplace for unsafe chemical exposure, advising employers on ergonomics, tracing the history of an industrial accident, establishing an apprenticeship program for child care workers, or advising an injured worker on how to apply for workers' compensation. DIR employees include safety engineers, industrial hygienists, deputy labor commissioners, workers' compensation judges, apprenticeship consultants, research program specialists, information technicians, educators, analysts, attorneys, communications staff, and office support staff.
More about DIR
- Divisions, Boards and Commissions
- Organizational Chart
- Departmental Strategic Plan
- Public Participation
- Press Room
- Legislative Reports
- How to pay your bills online
- Employment with DIR
Other California agencies that enforce related laws
- State disability insurance and unemployment insurance: Employment Development Department
- Disability rights in the workplace: Department of Fair Employment and Housing
- Workers' compensation insurance policies, fraud, and premium rates: Department of Insurance and Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau
- Contractors' licenses: Contractors State License Board
- Health plans and health insurance: Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance
- Business income and sales taxes: Franchise Tax Board and Board of Equalization
January 2021