Competition and Regulation in Professions and Occupations

The regulation of professional services is widespread. After a period of pro-competitive reforms, liberalisation efforts have stalled and, in some cases, regulatory barriers have been introduced again. This is taking place against a background of technological progress, including developments associated with artificial intelligence, affecting widely the professions and potentially calling into question some of the reasons underpinning regulation in the first place.

In addition, regulated occupations account for a significant number of workers and matter more broadly for both consumers and businesses, accounting for around 25-30% in some countries. Many of these services are not only important in their own right, but are also used as inputs in other economic sectors and therefore have an impact on other sectors too, both domestically and cross-border. For this reason, any inefficiencies or gains will also spread to other sectors of the economy. 

In June 2024, the OECD held a Roundtable on Competition and Regulation in Professional Services that explored: 

• the status of regulation in professional services, the main policy initiatives in recent years and changes brought about by new technologies.
• the impact of the introduced reforms and if they led to the creation of a more pro-competitive environment.
• factors contributing to successful competition advocacy and related challenges.

This page contains all related materials.

Read a summary with key findings or the detailed summary of the discussion.

• The discussion revealed that across OECD countries there has been an enormous growth in the number of jobs subject to professional regulation and occupational licensing. Between and within countries, there is a lot of inconsistency in which jobs are subject to regulation or licensing rules.
• Evidence suggests policymakers must be more proactive in balancing the benefits of professional regulation and occupational licensing systems against the potential costs, such as unnecessary restrictions on competition and social mobility as well as lower productivity.
• Competition authorities have a role to play in ensuring that professional regulation and occupational licensing frameworks do not contain unreasonable restrictions to competition. This can occur through enforcement activities, studying markets, and advocating for pro-competitive policy reforms.

Summary with key findings | Synthèse avec points clés

Detailed summary of the discusion | Compte rendu détaillé

OECD Background note | Note de référence de l'OCDE