Occupational Licensing and Labor Market Fluidity

Morris M. Kleiner and Ming Xu

Journal of Labor Economics, 2025, vol. 43, issue 3, 937 - 983

Abstract: We show that occupational licensing has significant negative effects on labor market fluidity, defined as cross-occupation mobility, and positive effects on wage growth. We find that occupational licensing represents a barrier to entry for both nonemployed workers and employed ones. The effect is more prominent for employed workers than those entering from nonemployment. We also find that average wage growth is higher for licensed workers than nonlicensed workers. We find significant heterogeneity in the licensing effect across different occupation groups. These results hold across various data sources, time spans, and indicators of being licensed.

Date: 2025
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