# Labor Commissioner — Bárbara Rivera Holmes — The GA Files > Bárbara Rivera Holmes, Georgia Labor Commissioner — campaign finance (live from GA Ethics), where they stand, and any scandals. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/officeholders/labor.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- [← Statewide Officeholders](https://thegafiles.com/officeholders.html) # Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes Republican Appointed by Gov. Kemp in April 2025; running for a full term in 2026. Sworn in as labor commissioner in April 2025 after Kemp appointed her to replace Bruce Thompson, who died in office. Former president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the State Transportation Board — the first Latina to hold a statewide constitutional office in Georgia. Runs the department handling unemployment claims and workforce programs. #### Office & background - Labor Commissioner (2025–present) - President & CEO, Albany Area Chamber of Commerce - Georgia State Transportation Board #### Campaign finance — who funds them **$333,113** raised · **$199,313** cash on hand (Barbara for Georgia, Inc.) - $10,000 — Jeff Bodine Sinyard (Albany, GA) - $8,400 — Georgians First Leadership Committee Inc (Atlanta, GA) - $8,400 — Ho, Terry (Albany, GA) - $8,400 — Mathis, Benton (Atlanta, GA) - $8,400 — Polo Logistics LLC (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - $8,400 — Stewart, Jeb (Duluth, GA) Finance as of **May 19, 2026** — latest GA Ethics filing (Two Business Day Report). Source: [Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission (PeachFile)](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov) #### Where they stand Unemployment benefits & the GDOL Is leading what the department calls the largest unemployment-insurance modernization in state history — replacing the aging benefits platform in fall 2026 with a cloud-based system meant to speed claims and curb fraud. She touts Georgia's jobless rate holding around 3.5%, well below the national figure, and frames the agency around employer engagement rather than benefit expansion. Source: [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) · [AJC — Holmes defends brief tenure](https://www.ajc.com/politics/2025/10/holmes-defends-brief-tenure-as-democrats-eye-labor-commissioner-post/) Unions & collective bargaining Comes out of the chamber-of-commerce world and champions Georgia's employer-friendly, right-to-work model — the climate the state markets to recruiters. She has not made union organizing or collective bargaining a priority of her tenure, emphasizing partnerships with employers and workforce boards instead. Source: [GDOL — commissioner biography](https://dol.georgia.gov/biography-labor-commissioner) · [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) Minimum wage Has not called for raising Georgia's minimum wage; her message centers on job growth, employer partnerships and matching workers to openings rather than mandating higher pay. Georgia defers to the federal $7.25 floor for covered workers. Source: [AJC — Holmes defends brief tenure](https://www.ajc.com/politics/2025/10/holmes-defends-brief-tenure-as-democrats-eye-labor-commissioner-post/) · [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) Workplace safety Has not proposed a Georgia state OSHA plan, leaving workplace-safety enforcement to the federal program. Her strategic plan frames safety and compliance around employer partnership and service rather than new state enforcement powers. Source: [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) Workforce development & job training Makes workforce a centerpiece — expanding job-matching infrastructure and partnering with the Technical College System / WorkSource Georgia, employers and educational institutions to move Georgians into open jobs. She partnered with TCSG to support furloughed federal workers during the 2025 shutdown. Source: [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) · [AJC — Holmes defends brief tenure](https://www.ajc.com/politics/2025/10/holmes-defends-brief-tenure-as-democrats-eye-labor-commissioner-post/) Child-labor enforcement Has not made child-labor enforcement a public focus of her tenure; her agenda is built around modernization, employer engagement and workforce development rather than ramped-up labor-standards policing. Source: [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) Worker protections & harassment Has not pushed for a state harassment law or new worker-protection mandates, framing the department's role around service to workers and employers and faster, more reliable benefits rather than expanded regulation. Source: [AJC — Holmes defends brief tenure](https://www.ajc.com/politics/2025/10/holmes-defends-brief-tenure-as-democrats-eye-labor-commissioner-post/) · [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) Department transparency & service Has made customer service and modernization the heart of her pitch — a published strategic plan, the unemployment-platform overhaul, and faster, lower-fraud claims processing aimed at improving the user experience for claimants and employers alike. Source: [GDOL — strategic plan unveiling](https://dol.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-11-17/gdol-strategic-plan-unveiling) · [AJC — Holmes defends brief tenure](https://www.ajc.com/politics/2025/10/holmes-defends-brief-tenure-as-democrats-eye-labor-commissioner-post/) #### More - [Georgia Department of Labor](https://dol.georgia.gov/) [⬇ Share image](https://thegafiles.com/share/officeholders/labor.png) Finance figures are pulled live from the Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission (PeachFile) and are current to each officeholder's most recent filed disclosure report. Policy summaries reflect stated positions and signed records, with sources; scandals are labeled by disposition. Last updated 2026-06-28.