Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

The department was formed by way of an Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 1 June 2022. It split the preceding Department of Education, Skills and Employment into the newly formed Department of Education and Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Preceding departments • Department of Labor and Immigration (12 June 1974 – 22 December 1975) • Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (22 December 1975 – 5 December 1978) • Department of Employment and Youth Affairs (5 December 1978 – 7 May 1982) • Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (7 May 1982 – 24 July 1987) • Department of Employment, Education and Training (24 July 1987 – 11 March 1996) • Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (11 March 1996 – 21 October 1998) • Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business (21 October 1998 – 26 November 2001) • Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (26 November 2001 – 3 December 2007) • Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (3 December 2007 – 18 September 2013) • Department of Employment (18 September 2013 – 20 December 2017) • Department of Jobs and Small Business (20 December 2017 – 29 May 2019) • Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business (29 May 2019 – 1 February 2020) • Department of Education, Skills and Employment (1 February 2020 – 1 July 2022) == Operational activities ==

In an Administrative Arrangements Order made on 13 May 2025, the functions of the department were broadly classified into the following matters: • Employment policy, including employment services • Labour market programmes for people of working age • Co-ordination of labour market research • Equal employment opportunity • Work and family programmes • Participation, activity test and compliance policy for participation payment recipients • Work health and safety, rehabilitation and compensation • Workplace relations policy development, advocacy and implementation • Skills and vocational education policy regulation and programmes, including vocational education and training in schools • Training, including apprenticeships and training and skills assessment services • Training transitions policy and programmes • Foundation skills for adults • Careers policy and advice ==See also==