This report addresses the major performance and accountability challenges facing the Department of Labor as it seeks to promote the welfare and economic security of the nations work force and ensure that workplaces are safe and healthy. It includes a summary of actions that Labor has under way to address these challenges and outlines further actions that GAO believes are needed. This analysis should help the new Congress and administration carry out their responsibilities and improve government for the benefit of the American people.

Provides a list of open recommendations to help solve problems in areas GAO designated as major management challenges in its Jan. 1999 Performance and Accountability Report Series. It focuses on the areas that are most important to solving the problem (generally 10-12 per management challenge), and briefly summarizes the other recommendations. The report addresses the Depts. of Agriculture, Commerce, DoD, Education, Energy, HHS, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and VA; Agency for International Development; EPA; NASA.; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Social Security Admin.; and USPS. Includes dozens of tables.

In its 2001 Governmentwide Perspective, the General Accounting Office (GAO) identified operational challenges, such as the continuing need to implement management reforms, and discussed the need to address human capital and other strategic challenges, particularly the longer-term budget outlook. The information that GAO presents in this report is intended to help sustain congressional attention in addressing the challenges government faces in doing business in the 21st century. This report is part of a special series of reports on governmentwide and agency-specific issues.