The perils of excessive occupational licensing have been a frequent theme at this blog in its various iterations, so I was glad to see the New York Times Magazine give it some love. As I noted last time I wrote about this, excessive licensing rules seem to be the main correlate of overall business owner satisfaction with the local business climate, so the issue deserves more attention in that frame.
Conversely, from a worker’s-eye-view it continues to be the case that one of the best forms of security anyone can get against bad conditions at work is a credible right of exit. Even relatively modest licensing requirements make it very difficult to quit the job you have. After all, if you quit you’ll have no income while you go about getting yourself licensed. But as long as you’re working, family responsibilities may make it impossible for you to go through the process.
