tildenpark OP t1_ja5d9iu wrote on February 26, 2023 at 11:31 PM

Data are from the 3rd Edition of the License to Work national survey, published in 2022 (link)

Visualization in Python with plotly.

Data consider 101 Low-Income Jobs:

Number of States Requiring License // Job Title

51 Barber
51 Bus Driver, City/Transit
51 Cosmetologist
51 Earth Driller, Water Well
51 Emergency Medical Technician
51 Manicurist
51 Pest Control Applicator
51 School Bus Driver
51 Skin Care Specialist
51 Truck Driver, Other
51 Truck Driver, Tractor-Trailer
51 Vegetation Pesticide Applicator
50 Preschool Teacher, Public School
49 Athletic Trainer
48 Landscape Contractor (Residential)
47 Coach, Head (High School Sports)
47 Landscape Contractor (Commercial)
45 Massage Therapist
44 Child Care Home, Family
44 Pharmacy Technician
43 Fisher, Commercial
43 Milk Sampler
39 Fire Alarm Installer
37 HVAC Contractor (Commercial)
37 Makeup Artist
37 Midwife, Direct Entry
37 Mobile Home Installer
37 Security Alarm Installer
37 Sheet Metal Contractor, HVAC (Commercial)
37 Travel Guide
36 Sheet Metal Contractor, HVAC (Residential)
36 Veterinary Technician
35 HVAC Contractor (Residential)
34 Security Guard, Unarmed
33 Shampooer
31 Gaming Supervisor
31 Mason Contractor (Residential)
31 Sheet Metal Contractor, Other (Residential)
30 Carpenter/Cabinet Maker Contractor (Residential)
30 Cement Finishing Contractor (Residential)
30 Drywall Installation Contractor (Residential)
30 Gaming Cage Worker
30 Glazier Contractor (Residential)
30 Insulation Contractor (Residential)
30 Iron/Steel Contractor (Residential)
29 Animal Breeder
29 Bill Collection Agency
29 Door Repair Contractor (Residential)
29 Gaming Dealer
29 Slot Supervisor
28 Auctioneer
28 Paving Contractor (Residential)
28 Taxidermist
28 Terrazzo Contractor (Residential)
27 Floor Sander Contractor (Residential)
27 Painting Contractor (Residential)
27 Pipelayer Contractor
26 Glazier Contractor (Commercial)
26 Iron/Steel Contractor (Commercial)
26 Mason Contractor (Commercial)
26 Sheet Metal Contractor, Other (Commercial)
25 Carpenter/Cabinet Maker Contractor (Commercial)
25 Drywall Installation Contractor (Commercial)
24 Cement Finishing Contractor (Commercial)
24 Door Repair Contractor (Commercial)
24 Insulation Contractor (Commercial)
24 Paving Contractor (Commercial)
24 Weigher
23 Terrazzo Contractor (Commercial)
23 Wildlife Control Operator
22 Floor Sander Contractor (Commercial)
22 Interpreter, Sign Language
22 Optician
22 Painting Contractor (Commercial)
16 Crane Operator
13 Taxi Driver/Chauffeur
12 Bartender
12 Locksmith
10 Farm Labor Contractor
9 Upholsterer
8 Dental Assistant
8 Tree Trimmer
7 Animal Control Officer
7 Animal Trainer
7 Packer
7 Title Examiner
5 Teacher Assistant, Non-Instructional
5 Travel Agency
4 Psychiatric Technician
4 Still Machine Setter, Dairy Equipment
3 Electrical Helper
3 Funeral Attendant
3 Home Entertainment Installer
3 Interior Designer
2 Dietetic Technician
2 Log Scaler
2 Nursery Worker
1 Conveyor Operator
1 Florist
1 Forest Worker
1 Social and Human Service Assistant

RubberDuckQuack t1_ja6h8o9 wrote on February 27, 2023 at 4:53 AM

Very interesting. There are a few professions there which surprised me by only requiring licenses in a few states (Security Guard? Bartender?) and others that surprised me in that they needed a license at all (Florist lol).

I wonder what classifies as a "license" in the first place. Is a brief course proving you can competently serve (i.e. not over-serve) alcohol a "license" to a bartender? Because we have a brief test in my province in Canada for anyone who will work with alcohol, but I'm not sure I'd classify it as a "license", but at the same time you can't do the job without it.

DM-me-ur-tits-plz- t1_ja6o2us wrote on February 27, 2023 at 6:05 AM

In some cases license is just paying a small fee to get added to your local government's registry.

In others it's a more extensive training/certification process (truck drivers, for example, have to pass a specialized driving test).

Varies pretty widely. I doubt the one state that licenses florists is putting them through any course and/or test.

RubberDuckQuack t1_ja6qdr1 wrote on February 27, 2023 at 6:31 AM

Ah. Difficult to draw concrete conclusions about "licensing unfairly harms poor people" if e.g. Texas requires barbers simply notify them that they're barbering and California requires that they take a 4-year college program prior to barbering, but it's still useful as an approximation I'm sure.

Interesting how Louisiana (and a lot of other southern states) rank so highly, as I don't really imagine them as being big on government regulation. I wonder if maybe that is a result of old regulations that were once used to keep out specific groups of people.

brothurbilo t1_ja80ccx wrote on February 27, 2023 at 3:08 PM

louisiana has a liscense for damn near everything. Some of them I agree with though. Bartenders are one and our state's culture with alcohol is so lax that it does get hazy on who is legal to serve to and who isn't.

brothurbilo t1_ja7zzy1 wrote on February 27, 2023 at 3:06 PM

I'm in Louisiana and was a bartender in college. We had to take a one day class and take a test to legally bartend. Basically so we knew laws about who can and can't be served alcohol. The one that threw me off is that a 16 year old can drink alcohol if he is at a table with his parents. That's for restaurants though not bars I believe.

CptnAlex t1_ja7owrp wrote on February 27, 2023 at 1:41 PM

Barber… actually licensed barbers in my state tend to do just fine. I wouldn’t call them “low income”

TableGamer t1_ja8rszv wrote on February 27, 2023 at 6:08 PM

Electrical Helper?

So what, an electrician can't simply hire a gofer, they have to hire a licensed gofer? Or are they actually allowed to sign-off on some kinds of electrical work?