Department of Workforce Solutions

About the Department

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS), whose mission is to Educate, Empower, Employ, and Enforce, is committed to being a leader in and a facilitator of a competitive workforce for the benefit of all New Mexico. The department’s goals are: to be a business-driven department, understanding the needs of employers with a focus on the employability of all New Mexicans; to be an integral part of all economic development and education initiatives; to be efficient and responsive to the diverse needs of New Mexico’s employers and workforce; and to be a “gateway” to employment.

NMDWS has statewide oversight of workforce development programs, for both youth and adults, funded by Wagner-Peyser, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and the Veterans Act. NMDWS administers various federal programs including: Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA); Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC); and Rapid Response (RR). NMDWS also enforces minimum wage, payment of wages, and overtime labor laws under the New Mexico Minimum Wage Act in addition to enforcing the payment of scale wages to laborers and mechanics under the New Mexico Public Works Minimum Wage Act. The department accepts and investigates claims of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, ancestry, sex, age, physical and mental handicap, serious medical condition, disability, spousal affiliation, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The department also produces labor market information by collecting, analyzing, reporting, and publishing information about economic conditions and trends such as the unemployment rate, job growth and wage levels. Information is also provided on the types of jobs and how they are changing, the available workers and their characteristics. Lastly, NMDWS administers the Unemployment Insurance (UI), the largest program in the department, which pays benefits to people who are out of work through no fault of their own and who meet certain qualifications. NMDWS processes claims for unemployment benefits, manages the UI Operations Center, and authorizes the weekly payment of benefits to claimants submitting their UI certifications.