New Research: Exploring Public Opinion of Licensing and AI
A recent national survey was conducted to understand public opinion on AI emergence in high-impact fields, voters’ level of trust in AI for critical decision-making, and voters’ beliefs about who should be involved in developing frameworks for AI governance and regulation.
Click here to download an executive summary of the research findings.
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Licensing Standards Must Be Maintained Despite Workforce Shortages
Nationwide workforce shortages are hitting all corners of our society, from retail to education to government administration. In response, some occupations are relaxing hiring criteria and eliminating degree requirements to help fill vacant jobs.
But this approach doesn’t work for highly technical professions that require rigorous qualifications to ensure public safety.
Rigorous licensing standards are essential for these professions to ensure that professionals are qualified to perform their work safely.
The public agrees: this is absolutely crucial for ARPL professions: architects, landscape architects, engineers, surveyors, and CPAs.
The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing commissioned Benenson Strategy Group to survey 1,200 registered voters from April 23 to May 3, 2024.
Click here to download the research summary.
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ARPL’s Veronica Meadows Joins the Talkin’ SaaS Podcast
Veronica Meadows joins GL Solutions’ Talkin’ SaaS podcast to discuss the importance of professional licensing standards. Amidst workforce development pressures, Veronica makes the case for upholding rigorous professional qualifications that are necessary to protect the public.
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ARPL’s Marta Zaniewski Joins the Wharton Business Daily Podcast
Amidst organizations grappling with workforce development challenges and considering the reduction of education and training requirements, ARPL Executive Director Marta Zaniewski explains the importance of upholding rigorous licensing standards for high-impact professions in this Wharton Business Daily podcast episode.
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Op-ed: A False Solution for Our Workforce Challenges
Workforce shortages, talent pipelines at a trickle and expensive labor are all-too-familiar challenges facing businesses and the public sector. In an attempt to tackle these problems, there is a growing trend of exploring the weakening or elimination of certain key job requirements. These proposals include getting rid of college degree requirements without equivalency alternatives, doing away with requisite testing, and downgrading credentials and licensure for professionals.
To be sure, there are some elements of the occupational licensure process that require continuous improvement and elimination of impediments disparately impacting underrepresented groups. However, in the rush to address workforce challenges, legislators and other policymakers must be cautious not to create new problems that leave employers and the public at risk.
Weakening professional licensing requirements is a false solution to various workforce ills. Minimum qualifications ensured by licensing exist to protect employers and the public they serve. This is particularly important for technical professions with high public impact, such as architecture, certified public accountancy, engineering, landscape architecture and land surveying. Care must be taken to ensure that critical licensing systems for such professions, designed to ensure public and economic protection, are not compromised and swept up in broad-brush calls for occupational licensing reform.
It is not just the public that depends on the qualifications assured by licensing; businesses do too, both as employers and recipients of services. Arguments to eliminate or weaken licensing often assume that it is a solution that benefits businesses. However, the reality is much more complicated. Proposals to weaken or do away with professional licensing can create new problems by eliminating critical systems and safeguards that help businesses succeed, with ramifications for financial support, insurance costs and consumer confidence.
A recent study conducted on behalf of the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing found that businesses unequivocally value licensing and the trust in qualifications that it conveys, even in today’s challenging labor environment. A significant percentage of businesses rely on licensing to make informed hiring choices, and absent licensing they would have less confidence in the competence of professionals. Fully 92 percent of businesses agreed that licensing plays a crucial role in accurately assessing qualifications and making confident hiring decisions; 85 percent said they would have less confidence in the competence of professionals if licensing were downgraded.
The importance of licensing goes beyond helping employers hire with confidence; it is intertwined with the overall success of businesses. Eliminating or weakening licensing for high-impact, high-consequence professions can have far-reaching unintended consequences. Employers understand and are rightly concerned about the risks associated with such a move. These risks include a potential decline in the quality of services, increased liability and reputational damage.
In the rush to address workforce challenges and assess the role of government and regulation in today’s society, it is crucial that lawmakers carefully consider the potential impact of anti-licensing proposals. While it may be tempting to eliminate or weaken licensing requirements, it is important to recognize the value they bring to both the public and businesses. Instead of creating new problems, we challenge policymakers to endorse innovative solutions that better address workforce shortages while maintaining the necessary safeguards provided by professional licensing. This is the art of governing.
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Michael Armstrong is the chief executive officer of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Marta Zaniewski is executive director of the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing and vice president for state regulatory and legislative affairs at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Op-ed published in Governing.com:
https://www.governing.com/work/a-false-solution-for-our-workforce-challenges
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Businesses Support Professional Licensing
The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing commissioned Benenson Strategy Group to survey 600 decision-makers for small- and mid-size businesses about the impact of professional licensing on their businesses. The results were clear: businesses overwhelmingly support responsible licensing standards.
Click here to download the research summary.
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U.S. BUSINESSES IN AGREEMENT: LOWERING LICENSING STANDARDS RAISES BUSINESS RISK
U.S. BUSINESSES IN AGREEMENT:
LOWERING LICENSING STANDARDS RAISES BUSINESS RISK
92% of business decision-makers emphasize importance of responsible professional licensing standards for complex, technical professions
Washington, D.C. – The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL)—a national coalition of responsible licensing advocates—today released new research findings that show businesses are concerned about the weakening of licensing standards and the resulting rise in business risk.
In recent years, several states and state governments have considered the weakening or elimination of licensing requirements to alleviate workforce challenges. While the proposals are often labeled as “pro-business”, new research finds that many businesses have reservations. They express strong concern that the proposals will create business challenges and even increase public exposure to harm.
- 85% would have less confidence in the competence of professionals.
- 84% would be concerned about increased public exposure to physical and financial risks.
- 84% would worry about hiring unqualified professionals that would jeopardize their reputation.
The research also finds that businesses value licensing standards and consider them critical for identifying and hiring qualified professionals, building a strong reputation, and keeping the public safe.
“Licensing is essential to ensure that businesses can identify qualified and competent professionals,” said Marta Zaniewski, ARPL Executive Director. “It provides a critical assurance of skills and expertise, which is vital for businesses operating in highly complex and technical fields.”
- 90% agreed that licensing protects and enhances their business reputation.
- 92% agreed that licensing plays a crucial role in accurately assessing qualifications and making confident hiring decisions.
- 92% agreed that licensing ensures professionals meet continuing education standards.
“Professional licensing has long been considered a safeguard for customers,” Zaniewski emphasized. “This new research underscores that it is a safeguard for businesses as well. Eliminating or weakening licensing requirements is not an effective solution for businesses or the public they serve.”
For more information about the research findings or to request an interview with an ARPL representative, please contact Joe Sangiorgio at JSangiorgio@craftdc.com or 202-550-2709.
About ARPL: The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL) is a unique coalition that brings together professional organizations and their licensing boards at a time when there is significant concern over the appropriate level of licensing required by law. The coalition was formed to ensure their voices are heard by policymakers and the public amid the growing debate around licensing. You can learn more about the Alliance and the importance of professional licensing at responsiblelicensing.org.
Members of ARPL include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).
Methodology: Benenson Strategy Group (BSG) conducted online interviews with 600 decision-makers for small and medium-sized businesses nationally from February 10th to February 26th, 2023. The margin of error is 5.74% for decision-makers at firms that provide complex, highly technical services (e.g., accounting, engineering, architectural, landscape architectural and surveying firms), and 5.58% for decision-makers at companies that rely on firms that provide complex, highly technical services. BSG is a strategic research consultancy that specializes in opinion research, messaging, and strategy for leading political, corporate, and advocacy clients.
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Universal Licensing: A Closer Look
Experts weigh in on the concept of universal licensing, which proposes that a license obtained in one jurisdiction should be valid in any other jurisdiction. While it may seem like a good idea on the surface, the implementation of this policy is complicated and could compromise public protection. State lawmakers should carefully consider the impact of universal licensing before implementing it.
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Interstate Practice: Common Pitfalls & How To Get It Right
Interstate practice refers to the ability of professionals to practice across state lines. In this video, licensing experts share examples of how states can responsibly accomplish flexibility and mobility. Lawmakers should consider this guidance as they work to achieve interstate practice for a broader mix of professions and occupations.
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