New Jersey

New Jersey licenses 54 of the 102 lower-income occupations studied here. Its laws rank as the 16th most burdensome and require, on average, $224 in fees, 422 days of education and experience, and around one exam. New Jersey ranks as the 28th most broadly and onerously licensed state.

New Jersey licenses several occupations rarely licensed elsewhere. For example, few other states license animal control officers (six), locksmiths (13), taxi drivers and chauffeurs (15), or crane operators (17). Among those, locksmiths and crane operators are particularly onerously licensed. Locksmiths face unusually high education and experience requirements—roughly 732 days, comprising two years of experience and 10 hours of education. By comparison, the average across licensed states is just 54 days lost to education and experience. And crane operators pay fees that are more than double the average across licensed states: $475 versus $225.

New Jersey also imposes burdens on some occupations that seem excessive compared to those for other occupations that may present greater risks to the public. For example, its education and experience requirements for barbers and cosmetologists are much higher than those for EMTs. Barbers must study for 900 hours (roughly 210 days) and cosmetologists for 1,200 hours (roughly 280 days), while EMTs need only 110 hours of education and 10 hours of experience (roughly 27 days total). New Jersey could improve job prospects for its lower-income residents by lifting or easing its heavy licensing burdens for barbers, cosmetologists and other occupations, or—if government regulation is necessary—by replacing them with less restrictive regulatory alternatives such as inspections or voluntary certification.