Facts & Figures

Laws

The Fair Labor Standards Act prescribes standards for wages and overtime pay, which affect most private and public employment. The act is administered by the Wage and Hour Division.

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act is administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Safety and health conditions in most private industries are regulated by OSHA or OSHA-approved state programs, which also cover public sector employers.

The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act) deals with the relationship between a union and its members.

Over the past 35 years, the share of American workers who belong to labor unions has fallen by about half.
21 million people are victims of forced labor
Forced labor generates $150 billion USD
The Asia-Pacific region accounts for the largest number of forced laborers in the world; 11.7 million (56%) of the global total
There were 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every thousand people in the world in 2016. There were 5.9 adult victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 adults in the world and 4.4 child victims for every 1,000 children in the world.
Debt bondage affected half of all victims of forced labor imposed by private actors.
The largest share of labor trafficked adults are domestic workers (24%) followed by construction (18%), manufacturing (15%), and agriculture and fishing (11%) sectors. (ILO, 2017)
Migrant workers and indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to forced labor. (ILO, 2017)