The Influence of Occupational Licensing on Workforce Transitions to Retirement

Yun taek Oh and Morris M. Kleiner

Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 2025, vol. 64, issue 4, 643-659

Abstract: Ways of leaving the labor force have been an understudied aspect of labor market outcomes. Labor market institutions such as occupational licensing may influence how individuals transition to retirement. When and how workers transition from career jobs to full retirement may contribute to pre‐ and post‐retirement well‐being. Previous investigations of retirement pathways focused on the patterns and outcomes of retirement transitions, yet the influence of occupational licensing on retirement transition has not been analyzed. In this study, we use the Current Population Survey to investigate how occupational licensing influences American later‐career workers' choice of retirement pathways. Our results show that older licensed workers are less likely to choose to make career transitions but more likely to reduce work hours in transitioning out of the labor force. These results are consistent with the findings that licensed workers receive more benefits in the form of preferable retirement options, suggesting that these workers tend to have higher wages, benefits, and flexibility even toward the end of their careers.

Date: 2025
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Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society is currently edited by Christopher (Kitt) Carpenter, Steven Raphael and stevenraphael@berkeley.edu

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