Functional responsibility:
The Ministry of Human Resources and Employment is responsible for:

• oversight and design of social services programs, including income support and employment support programs,
• regulation of the workplace and employer-employee relations, including employment standards, workplace health and safety, and mediation services,
• oversight of personnel services within the provincial government,
• oversight of certification in specified professions and occupations, and registration of professional and occupational associations, and
• manpower development programs.

The Minister of Human Resources and Employment is responsible for the administration of the following acts and regulations pursuant to these acts.

General:
Government Organization Act, Schedule 8

Social services, income support, employment support and manpower development:
Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Act
Dependent Adults Act
Domestic Relations Act
Income Support Recovery Act
Metis Settlements Act
Metis Settlements Land Protection Act
Parentage and Maintenance Act
Personal Directives Act
Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Act
Social Development Act
Special Payment Act
Student and Temporary Employment Act
Widows' Pension Act

Occupational health and safety:
Occupational Health and Safety Act
Radiation Protection Act

Employment standards:
Employment Standards Code

Labour relations (Labour Relations Board):
Burial of the Dead Act
Labour Relations Code
Managerial Exclusion Act
Police Officers Collective Bargaining Act
Public Service Employee Relations Act

Personnel administration for the Government of Alberta (Personnel Administration Office):
Public Service Act

Workers' compensation (Workers' Compensation Board):
Blind Workers' Compensation Act
M.L.A. Compensation Act
Workers' Compensation Act

Professions and occupations:
Agrologists Act
Architects Act
Certified General Accountants Act
Certified Management Accountants Act
Chartered Accountants Act
Consulting Engineers of Alberta Act
Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act
Forestry Profession Act
Land Agents Licensing Act
Land Surveyors Act
Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act
Regulated Accounting Professions Act
Veterinary Professions Act

Predecessor and successor bodies:
The predecessors of the Ministry of Human Resources and Employment are the Department of Family and Social Services (social services and income support programs), the Department of Labour (workplace and employee-employer relations programs, professions and occupations, Labour Relations Board, Workers' Compensation Board, Workers' Compensation Board Appeals Commission), and the Department of Advanced Education and Career Development (training, manpower development and the Personnel Administration Office).

Administrative relationships:
The Ministry of Human Resources and Employment reports to the Legislative Assembly through the Minister of Human Resources and Employment. A number of agencies either report to the Minister or through him to the Legislative Assembly. These agencies are the Personnel Administration Office, Workers' Compensation Board, Workers' Compensation Board Appeals Commission, Labour Relations Board, and the Occupational Health and Safety Council. Information about these agencies may be found in their respective sous-fonds descriptions.

Administrative structure:
The Ministry is made up of the:

• Department of Human Resources and Employment,
• Personnel Administration Office,
• Alberta Labour Relations Board,
• Workers' Compensation Board,
• Workers' Compensation Board Appeals Commission,
• Council on Professions and Occupations,
• Occupational Health and Safety Council,
• Council on Workplace Safety, and
• Employability Council.

Programs and services of Human Resources and Employment are delivered through a network of offices and Career Development Centres located throughout the province. Training programs are also delivered through post-secondary institutions, private schools, high schools, and private providers.

At the time that the Ministry was created, the Department was made up of seven divisions.

1. Regional Services Delivery (renamed Delivery Services Division in 2002): responsible for the administration of the network of regional and district offices that deliver training, student finance support, income support, family maintenance, worksite health and safety management, and temporary employment programs, guardianship services for dependent adults, and distribute labour market information and information about employment standards
2. Program Design Division: responsible for the design, development and implementation of income support, social services, job training and labour market programs, creation of support materials for case workers, development of program guidelines, interdepartmental liaison, and provision of consulting services regarding professions and occupations
3. Performance, Evaluation and Information Services Division: responsible for design, development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems for programs, creation and operation of departmental systems for information management and distribution
4. Strategic Services Division: responsible for legislative support services to the department, strategic planning and issues management, and mediation services
5. Finance Division: responsible for financial administration and planning for the department, asset management, budgeting and forecasting
6. Information Management and Technology Division: responsible for planning and maintenance of information systems and data for the Ministry
7. Human Resources Division: responsible for personnel support functions for the department

In 2000, the Performance, Evaluation and Information Services Division was eliminated. Most of its responsibilities were added to those of the Strategic Services Division. Its Appeal functions were merged with the Mediation Services activities of Strategic Services to form the new Workplace Relationships Division. This Division was renamed Workplace Investments in 2002.

In February 2002, the structure of the department was reorganized. The Finance, Human Resources, and Information Management and Technology Divisions were merged to form the Corporate Services Division. At this time, the Program Design Division was broken up to form two new Divisions, the People Investments Division, responsible for income support and social services programs and the Skills Investments Division, responsible for training, manpower development and labour market programs.

Names of chief officers:
Minister of Human Resources and Employment:

• Clinton E. Dunford (May 26, 1999-present)

• administration and provision of social allowance, income support and other public welfare programs;
• administration of federal pension programs;
• licensing and financial support of day care facilities;
• supervision of foster care homes;
• provision of vocational rehabilitation and other services for the handicapped;
• direction and support of services to the disabled provided by outside and other governmental agencies;
• investigation of fraudulent welfare claims;
• services to families, including maintenance enforcement and mediation;
• provision of guardianship to dependant adults;
• appeal panels for various service programs;
• program delivery through regional offices;
• financial management for the department;
• personnel management for the department;
• public relations;
• review and development of legislation relating to various department programs;
• building inspection;
• building standards development;
• electrical safety;
• employment standards creation, administration and monitoring;
• fire prevention;
• fire and arson investigation;
• manpower training and development;
• mediation services;
• occupational health and safety programs;
• professional and occupational association registration;
• program planning and development; and
• union certification and administration of collective agreements.

The fonds contains records of the Workers' Compensation Board, the Personnel Administration Office, and the Labour Relations Board. Information about the records of these subordinate agencies may be found in the respective sous-fonds descriptions.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Employment fonds also contains records relating to child welfare programs. These records were retained by the Department of Family of Social Services and came into the custody of the Ministry of Human Resources and Employment before their transfer to the Provincial Archives.

The fonds contains correspondence, reports and statistics, a wide variety of types of case files, reference material for the use of the Department's executive officers, collective agreements, daily record and registration books, minutes and agendas of various departmental and inter-governmental committees, manuals, proposals and applications, contracts, drafts of legislation and regulations, financial records, policy and procedures documents, certificates, briefing papers, directives, organization charts and publications.

The records have been arranged into the following series:

• Collective bargaining agreements

The fonds also includes the following sous-fonds:

• Personnel Administration Office sous-fonds
• Workers' Compensation Board sous-fonds
• Workers' Compensation Appeals Commission sous-fonds
• Labour Relations Board sous-fonds
• Occupational Health and Safety Council sous-fonds