| WHAT: | The Federal Trade Commission will host a Roundtable, “The Effects of Occupational Licensure on Competition, Consumers, and the Workforce: Empirical Research and Results”. Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen will give opening remarks at the event, which brings together experts who have studied and attempted to quantify the effects of occupational licensing regulations on service providers, consumers, and markets. |
| WHEN: | Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. EST |
| WHERE: | Constitution Center
400 7th St., SW
Washington, DC 20024 |
| WHY: | Nearly 30 percent of U.S. jobs require a license today, up from less than five percent in the 1950s. Occupational licensing can sometimes be necessary to protect public health and safety, which benefits consumers and serves important state policy interests. But even in those situations, state-specific licensing requirements can impose barriers to entry on qualified workers who have moved from another state, or want to work across state lines. For some occupations, licensing and many of the particular license-related restrictions adopted in some states may not protect public health and safety in sufficient amounts to justify the costs to workers and consumers. |
| WEBCAST: | The link for the live webcast of the roundtable will be posted on the meeting page tomorrow. |