Once the Obama administration took office in 2009, the Department of Labor (DOL) quietly abandoned the practice of releasing yearly enforcement statistics, but its Wage and Hour Division (WHD) finally righted the ship recently when it released data for fiscal years 2009 to 2013.

The results show a general uptick from the Bush years  in both back wages collected and enforcement hours, reflecting the nearly 300 new WHD agents hired during the administration’s tenure. FY2012 represented the high-water mark with $280 million recovered, though the trend is clearly upward.

VIEW “FISCAL YEAR STATISTICS FOR WHD”

The basis of the WHD’s enforcement activities are the laws and regulations, which are continually amended, contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). To stay current with your requirements as an employer, please refer to Personnel Concepts’ comprehensive FLSA Compliance Program.