 The commissioner is the administrative head of the Department of Labor and also serves as a member of the North Carolina Council of State.The original 'Bureau of Labor Statistics', the historical precursor of the present N.C. Department of Labor, was created by the North Carolina General Assembly of 1887, with provision for appointment by the governor of a 'Commissioner of Labor Statistics' for a two-year term.In 1899 another act was passed providing that the commissioner, beginning with the general election of 1900, be elected by the people for a four-year term.