Like it or not, the labour market in the US looks as open as a cattle market. Except that it isn’t. One way in which it isn’t is that an increasing number of jobs now require applicants to hold a special “occupational licence” for that particular profession, generally provided and regulated by the states. According to a report released by the White House in 2015, nearly 30% of the US workforce now needs a licence from state, local or federal governments.2 Measuring just state-licensed jobs, the report says that the proportion has increased fivefold since the 1950s and has been rising in every
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