President-elect Donald Trump has named Keith Sonderling as his choice for deputy labor secretary, a post he revealed on Truth Social. Sonderling, a former commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), would serve as the second-in-command at the Department of Labor (DOL) under Trump’s administration, pending Senate confirmation.

“The deputy secretary of labor serves as the de facto chief operating officer of the DOL,” said Littler, an employment law firm, highlighting Sonderling's responsibility to oversee agencies such as OSHA and the Wage and Hour Division.

Trump had already nominated former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., for the secretary of labor role. “Keith will work with our great Nominee for Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-Deremer, to put our Country and Workers FIRST,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post.

Sonderling expressed his gratitude on LinkedIn: “Thank you, President Trump, for nominating me to be the Deputy Secretary of Labor.” Before his time at the EEOC, Sonderling served as acting deputy administrator of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division and as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School.

Littler described Sonderling as a “complementary pick” to the secretary nominee, expected to bring balance to DOL leadership. Sonderling is anticipated to focus on compliance guidance, technology-related business concerns, and supporting independent contractors and the gig economy.