Occupational licencing may be essential to protect the public from unqualified doctors and nurses but “it is unclear why government regulation needs to spread to new groups such as estate agents, private investigators and security guards”, says Professor Len Shackleton, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow.

Writing for 1828, Len argues occupational regulation creates higher barriers to employment – especially for older workers and returners such as those with children – with it “raises prices, reduces the number of market entrants and lowers employment while showing no clear evidence of improving perceived quality of services”.

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