More About Jessica Looman

The Honorable Jessica Looman is an experienced executive, attorney and organizational leader with expertise in domestic labor policy, federal labor and employment law, federal and state government administration, regulatory and enforcement policy development and implementation, and the expansion of economic security and workforce development initiatives. Ms. Looman excels at the development of innovative program management strategies and meaningful stakeholder engagement. 

Nominated by President Biden in 2022 and confirmed by the US Senate in 2023 to lead the Wage and Hour Division of the US Department of Labor, Ms. Looman ensured fundamental worker protections for over 165 million workers at 11 million workplaces nationwide. From January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2025, Ms. Looman led the federal labor standards regulatory and enforcement agency including its $260M budget, over 1,500 staff, and 54 District Offices nationwide. Ms. Looman prioritized advancing strategic enforcement for low-wage vulnerable workers, combatting child labor exploitation, addressing misclassification of employees as independent contractors, preventing retaliation against workers, implementing the PUMP at Work Act and developing meaningful strategic partnerships with stakeholders and local, state, and federal governments to increase worker protections and employer compliance. 

Key Accomplishments as leader of the Wage and Hour Division: 

• Recovered more than $1B in back wages and damages for victims of wage theft.  
• Led the Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation and protected more than 16,000 children employed in violation of federal child labor laws, including more than 2,000 children employed in hazardous occupations and assessed more than $34 million in penalties. 
• Addressed misclassification of employees as independent contractors, recovering over $59M for misclassified workers and adopted and implemented the Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act final regulation. 
• Ensured the unprecedented investments in infrastructure under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Sciences Act and the Inflation Reduction Act result in good jobs by leading the most comprehensive review of federal Davis-Bacon prevailing wage regulations and enforcement program in over 40 years.   
• Convened the first ever Labor Standards Agency Forum attended by leaders from over 30 states and territory government labor standards agencies to strengthen partnerships, share best practices, discuss key priorities and emerging trends in labor enforcement. 

Ms. Looman served several roles in Minnesota State Government.  She was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to serve as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the state regulatory agency that includes the State Energy Office, the Minnesota Insurance Department, and the Minnesota Banking Commission as well as programs that regulate weights and measures, unclaimed property and license over 225,000 professionals in more than 20 industries.  While Commissioner, Ms. Looman focused on leading statewide financial literacy and fraud prevention and enforcement initiatives; growing Minnesota’s clean energy economy; and approval of lower health insurance rates for the 155,000 people served by Minnesota’s individual market.  

Ms. Looman also served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, overseeing the strategic coordination of the Labor Standards, OSHA, Workers Compensation and Construction Codes and Licensing programs serving 2.9 million workers and 167,000 employers across the state. Ms. Looman's accomplishments include implementing and enforcing state minimum wage, prevailing wage, child labor, independent contractor classification and registered apprenticeship programs, while serving as executive sponsor of the Wage Theft Initiative, the PIPELINE Dual-Training workforce development program, and the implementation of the Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA).

Ms. Looman served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council, serving over 70,000 union construction professionals across the state.  She advocated to advance registered apprenticeship, protect the physical and economic health of construction workers, increase public and private investment in construction, and foster diversity and inclusion in the construction industry workforce. Ms. Looman coordinated statewide efforts to secure $1.8B in capital investment bonding; helped lead the construction industry COVID-19 safety response; and furthered alignment on creating good jobs through state, national and international clean energy initiatives.  

Ms. Looman also served as the General Counsel of the Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota providing advice and counsel regarding collective bargaining, grievance and dispute resolution, registered apprenticeship program administration and increasing worker voice.  She was also the second state director for the Minnesota Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET). She has been a member of LIUNA! since 1996.  

• U.S. Department of Labor Enforcement of Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act Senate Committee on Appropriations accompanying the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118-47)
• Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Wage and Hour Division, US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, February 14, 2024
• Senate Hearing on the Confirmation of Jessica Looman, Senate Committee on Health, Labor, Education and Pensions, September 13, 2022 

• This Ancient Atrocity: Slaughterhouse cleaning company employed children, CBS 60 Minutes, aired May 8, 2023  
• DOL Wage Enforcement Chief Leaves Trump Unfinished Business, Bloomberg Law Daily Labor Report, December 9, 2024 
• DOL Wage Chief Talks Legacy, Advice for Successor, Law 360, December 6, 2024
• Company fined $650K for hiring children to clean meatpacking plants, Washington Post, May 8, 2024
• Tennessee Company hired Children to Operate Dangerous Machinery, Officials say, New York Times, March 25, 2024  
• Millions of gig workers could qualify as employees under new Biden-era rule, Washington Post, January 9, 2024
• Top Wage Enforcer Focused on Being ‘as Protective as Possible’, Bloomberg Law Daily Labor Report, October 30, 2023
• Child Labor violations soared in fiscal 2023, Washington Post, October 19, 2023
• DOL Acting Wage Chief Reflects on First Year In Role, Law 360, March 28, 2022