Alberta has the highest occupational licensing burden in Canada study
Alberta has the highest provincial occupational licensing burden in Canada, according to a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.The Provincial Occupational Licensing Index, 2026 introduces the first comprehensive index of occupational licensing across Canada’s provinces, finding that Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario license the most professions, whereas Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador license the fewest professions.Alberta licenses 73 different job titles, including gardening (landscape horticulturist). It is the only province to license appliance repair, one of only two provinces to license animal health technicians, one of three to license ATV repair, and one of four to license forestry professionals.“Approximately 11 per cent of Canadian workers and an estimated roughly 13 per cent of Alberta workers are licensed, and requirements vary significantly by province,” said Matthew Mitchell, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.When a province requires a license to practice a profession, it’s illegal for a worker to offer those services without first obtaining the license. To obtain the license, aspiring workers must pay fees, take tests, and complete hundreds or even thousands of hours of training. For example, to become a barber in Alberta, one must complete 1,450 hours of training, take an additional 10 weeks of classroom instruction, and pass both practical and theoretical exams in barbering.Licencing requirements impose several costs on Canadians. First, workers face reduced employment opportunities since licensing makes it more difficult to enter certain professions. These barriers to work tend to be concentrated in lower-income fields and they tend to limit opportunities for particular populations such as the less-educated, those whose first language isn’t English or French, and military spouses who tend to move frequently and must obtain new licenses every time they move. Second, it raises prices for consumers by artificially constraining the supply of workers. And while the stated aim of licensing is to protect consumers by improving safety, the evidence that it does so is quite weak. There’s also little evidence that licensing improves service quality. In some contexts, it may undermine quality and safety by reducing competition.“Given the limited evidence that licensing increases either the quality or safety of services, requiring stringent licensing for barbers, mechanics, and gardeners just limits opportunities for those eager to learn and meaningfully contribute to the workforce,” said Mitchell.
