Designing without a license?

Have you got yourself an occupation?

What to Know: Occupational licensing is now estimated to cost California $22 billion, according to a new report.

“Today, nearly 2.5 million California workers need a license to work. That’s over 17 percent of the state’s workforce,” the Orange County Register explains. “In California, the average occupational license for a lower-income occupation requires $486 in fees, over two years in education and experience, and two exams. These barriers to entry for aspiring workers restrict competition in licensed occupations, limiting economic opportunity and driving up costs for consumers.”

The TPPF Take: As Californians are learning, occupational licensing often acts as a barrier to prosperity.

“Many occupational licensing rules block people from working and prospering for no reason other than guarding current license holders from competition,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “We don’t want to be California, so the Texas Legislature should eliminate those unnecessary barriers while considering other options to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare.”

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