About Us

The Income Support Division provides financial assistance to Rhode Islanders temporarily out of work, allowing them to support themselves and their families until they can return. The most significant benefit programs within the Income Support Division are Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI). The Department's priorities and strategic direction are to ensure continuous improvements in all Income Support programs.

The Labor Market Information (LMI) Division is a central resource for a wide variety of data relating to the Rhode Island economy. It collects, analyzes, and disseminates state labor market information. LMI, in cooperation with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), operates four federal/state survey programs that collect information from RI-based employers and households concerning their employment situations. These programs operate in all states, making data comparable across states over time.

The Workforce Regulation and Safety Division is charged with enforcing the safety laws that protect Rhode Island’s workforce, including a fair collection of wages, child labor laws, trade licensing, apprenticeship training, hazardous substance exposure, weights and measures, and prevailing wage laws. This is accomplished through licensing, inspection programs, educational programs, and labor law enforcement.

All Rhode Island employers must maintain workers' compensation insurance, which protects workers in the event of a work-related injury or illness by covering missed wages and medical expenses. The Workers' Compensation Division at the Department of Labor and Training monitors the state's workers' compensation system, ensuring that all required employers obtain insurance coverage, file appropriate documents to protect injured workers and themselves, pay claims correctly, and take measures to detect and prevent fraud.

The Workforce Development Services (WDS) Division is dedicated to the support and advancement of all who comprise the workforce: those who perform the work and those who hire them. The division oversees a variety of programs that guide job seekers to suitable employment and introduce employers to qualified workers.

The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) leads the Department of Labor and Training’s (RIDLT) commitment and strategy to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization, both internally and externally in serving the public. The mission of the OCE is to build meaningful, two-way relationships with community representatives in order to ensure that all DLT services and programs are accessible, inclusive, and equitably distributed; with a focus on eliminating barriers and promoting access for marginalized populations.

The Office of Planning, Integrity, and Compliance is a unit within the Department of Labor and Training whose role is to ensure complete compliance with the requirements, responsibilities, and expectations of state and federal funding sources while promoting responsive and innovative service delivery within the state workforce development system. In addition to overseeing programmatic and fiscal monitoring, these duties include providing technical assistance and guidance to local boards, providers, and other partners.

The Governor's Workforce Board is the centralized resource for workforce development issues, connecting various services and programs for employers and job seekers.

The Workforce Solutions of Providence-Cranston is charged with partnering with local industries to increase labor and training initiatives within the state, as well as collaborating with business, labor, education leaders, and community-based organizations to establish a dynamic, outcome-driven, visible resource providing measurable and comprehensive market-driven employment and training services.

The Board of Police Officer Relief Per RI General Law 45-19-2, within the Department of Labor and Training, has a board of police officer's relief consisting of seven members which administers the fund for the relief of police officers.

The Board of Firefighter Relief Per RI General Law 45-19-5, within the Department of Labor and Training, there is a board of firefighters' relief, consisting of three members, which administers the fund for firefighter's relief.

At the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, in-person assistance is available at Building 70 for the following services:

• Trade License Renewals
• Applications for Trade License Exams
• Apprenticeship Registration
• Unpaid Wage Complaints
• Prevailing Wage Complaints
• Employee Misclassification Complaints
• Boiler and Elevator Inspections and Permits