Did you know that at least 30% of jobs in Nevada require some sort of occupational licensure? Professionals in the fields of health, trades, and others must acquire a state regulated license in order to legally offer their services. While licensure is important for quality and safety, states should constantly assess unnecessary barriers preventing qualified individuals from entering the workforce.
In a recent study from the Wisconsin Institute of Liberty & Law, Nevada was named one of the top five most burdensome states for licensure, stating that Nevada not only requires more hours for licensure, but also more money out of pocket. This limits the ability of many skilled workers to serve in licensed occupations due to financial issues.
In a step toward, Nevada was recently selected to participate with 10 other states in a national Occupational Licensing Policy and Practice Learning Consortium to better understanding the barriers to licensing. A change towards a less burdensome licensure process would ensure that more skilled workers are working, more jobs are being done, and the unemployment rate in states like Nevada would continue to drop.