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Spending more than two decades transforming federal, state and local policy into meaningful outcomes for workers, employers, and communities, Robert Asaro-Angelo is a nationally recognized public sector executive and labor policy leader.

From 2018 to 2026 he had the honor to serve as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) under Governor Phil Murphy, where he guided the state’s diverse workforce services and protections to create a stronger and fairer New Jersey. 

For all eight years of the most pro-worker administration in New Jersey history, he guided the implementation of 126 laws under NJDOL jurisdiction including groundbreaking protections like a $15  minimum wage, earned sick leave, equal pay, expanded paid family leave, temporary workers bill of rights, domestic workers bill of rights, pay and benefits transparency, anti-wage theft and apprenticeship requirements for public construction. 

When New Jersey workers prospered, businesses thrived and expanded alongside them and the state experienced record employment and business growth.  Balancing enforcement and compliance assistance, he proved worker protection and economic growth is not a zero-sum game. 

Serving as an appointee to the state’s Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), Future of Work and Artificial Intelligence Task Forces gave him the opportunity to protect and support workers and businesses through economic and technological challenges and growth.  He supported the launch of the country’s first AI powered career navigator, trained his entire department in responsible AI use and worked with the legislature and NJEDA to ensure New Jersey has the strongest worker protections on state incentive funded projects.

Rob guided the department through the COVID-19 pandemic, distributing nearly $40 billion in benefits to 1.6 million New Jersey residents while transitioning the entire workforce to remote operations. He pioneered the Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization, the first in the nation to modernize policy, communication, and technology holistically. Under his leadership, New Jersey launched a rebuilt online UI application that reduced application time by up to 47 minutes and implemented a cloud-based phone system that cut callback times from an hour to 90 seconds.

Always seeking continuous improvement, he modernized processes and upskilled staff at the 3,000 person department leading to awards and recognition for unemployment insurance modernization, utilizing AI to improve government services as well as more than doubling the number of apprenticeship programs in the state.

Due in part to the innovation he spearheaded in New Jersey, in February, 2021, Rob was chosen by his counterparts across the nation as the Board Chair of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA).

Congress has called upon Asaro-Angelo multiple times to testify about labor-related topics, including the state’s innovative efforts to develop apprenticeship programs, increase access to paid family and medical leave, and combat unemployment insurance fraud.                   

From 2010 – 2017, he served as Eastern Regional Representative for the U.S. Department of Labor under the Obama Administration, managing the department’s regional activities and coordinating federal initiatives on the regional, state, and local levels.

Prior to his government service, Asaro-Angelo worked across the country for the Laborers International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Service Employees International Union Local 1115 organizing and educating public employees, construction workers and nursing home personnel about government and politics.

Rob earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Boston University and a master’s in Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.