Is Connecticut Waiting to Work?

Everyone agrees that certain jobs should require a license to maintain public safety - doctors, nurses, phlebotomists and dentists. The state requires a person pass exams and provide proof of education in order to ensure public safety.

That's fine. But what about barbers, cosmetologists and massage therapists?

Your hair will grow back, you can wash off bad make-up and a back rub has never killed anyone.

Connecticut requires licenses for jobs that do not impact public safety. Getting those licenses requires lengthy apprenticeships, exams and hundreds of dollars. This leaves people waiting to work.

Connecticut requires a state license for for 54 low income jobs. To become a barber requires 1,000 hours of training at a hairdressing and cosmetic school approved by the state. That is a lot of time and money. It only takes 1,500 hours of flight time to become a commercial pilot.

It takes 500 hours of training to become a licensed massage therapist but only 120 hours to become a licensed emergency medical technician.

Some of the license requirements to work a trade in Connecticut are far too strict.

To install auto glass in Connecticut requires 144 classroom hours, a one year apprenticeship, two years as a journeyman, multiple exams and hundreds of dollars.

In the study, Waiting to Work, Professor Mark Gius of Quinnipiac University found that state licensing increases the cost of services to consumers and simultaneously reduces employment in those fields.

And President Barack Obama agrees! In a press release from the White House:

"While licensing can offer can offer important health and safety protections to consumers, as well as benefits to workers, the current system often requires unnecessary training, lengthy delays, or high fees. This can in turn artificially create higher costs for consumers and prohibit skilled American workers like florists or hairdressers from entering jobs in which they could otherwise excel." - White House Press Release 6/16/16

Let's cut down on pointless licensing requirements that keep Connecticut residents waiting to work!

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Created with images by marionbrun - "doctor surgeon operation" • TheJadedEye - "barber haircut hair" • rhythmuswege - "wellness massage" • skyseeker - "Blue airplane." • Osajus - "1409 Ambulance HDR" • bardjudith - "broken glass glass window" • Glyn Lowe Photoworks. - "U.S. President Barack Obama - 2013 Presidential Inauguration Day"

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