From real estate agents to hairstylists to medical practitioners, nearly one-fifth of Utah’s prime-age workforce is estimated to hold a required occupational license. While many occupational licensing requirements are in the public interest, others create unnecessary barriers to work that lead to reductions in employment and higher prices for consumers without improving quality of services.
As Utah emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, occupational licensing reform has emerged as a major policy priority for catalyzing economic growth and recovery. In January, Utah Governor Spencer Cox issued an executive order requiring all state agencies to review occupational licensing rules and procedures.
On June 24, 2020 the Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis at the University of Utah and the Center for Growth and Opportunity (CGO) at Utah State University co-hosted a symposium on occupational licensing reform in Utah. The event coincided with the release of several essays on licensing reform from experts in Utah and throughout the country. A link to the essays and recorded symposium webinar is below.
AGENDA
12 p.m. MDT | Opening Remarks
Adam Looney, Executive Director, Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis
12:05 p.m. MDT | Overview of Occupational Licensing Reform
Edward Timmons, Director, Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation, Saint Francis University
Josh Smith, Research Manager, Center for Growth and Opportunity, Utah State University
12:25 p.m. MDT | The Case for Occupational Licensing Reform in Utah and Nationwide
Moderator: Adam Looney, Executive Director, Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis
Michael Bednarczuk, Senior Research Analyst, Institute for Justice
Morris Kleiner, Professor and AFL-CIO Chair in Labor Policy, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
12:45 p.m. MDT | Audience Q&A
Moderator: Adam Looney, Executive Director, Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis