THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) started as a small bureau in 1908 and became a department with the enactment of Act 4121 on December 8, 1933.

Today, the organization and functions of the department are in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order No. 126, as amended, the

The DoLE's vision is the attainment of full decent and productive employment for every Filipino worker. To fulfill this mandate, it has adopted four strategies, namely, support for employment generation, employment facilitation, employment enhancement, and employment preservation.

While the DoLE recognizes that the private sector is the primary engine of economic growth and other government agencies that promote development through investments and infrastructure are the more significant employment generators, the DoLE contributes in this area by providing bridging or transition opportunities, especially to the vulnerable sectors and provides protective and welfare services. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and its regional units, the Maritime Training Council (MTC), the Bureau of Rural Workers (BRW), the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS), the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), and the Workers Amelioration and Welfare Division (WAWD) of its regional offices contribute to this effort. It provides facilitation and regulation services for local and overseas employment through the Bureau of Local Employment, the Employment Promotion Divisions of the regional offices, and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

DoLE supports the promotion of industrial peace through education, expeditious and fair resolution of labor disputes, enhancement of labor-management cooperation, and promotion of tripartism in policy and decision making. The work of the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR), the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council Secretariat, the Labor Relations Divisions (LRD), and the Med-Arbitration Units of the regional offices, Legal Service (LS), the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), and National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) and their regional units are all directed at employment preservation.

We congratulate the Department of Labor and Employment headed by Secretary Arturo D. Brion, its Officials and Personnel, on the occasion of their 73rd Foundation Anniversary and wish them success in all their endeavors.