Publication type
Journal Article
Series Number
Authors
Publication date
February 19, 2026
Summary:
We study the relationship between occupational regulation and intergenerational occupational persistence. Using the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009–2024), we find that individuals are significantly more likely to enter a licensed occupation if a parent also worked in one, with the effect strongest in occupations where regulatory hurdles and economic rents are higher. No comparable effect is observed for certification and accreditation, and the results cannot be attributed either to the growth in licensed occupations or to increases in employment within licensed occupations. Our findings suggest that licensing can hinder intergenerational social mobility by perpetuating existing patterns of occupational inheritance.
Published in
Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/irel.70023
ISSN
00198676
Subjects
Notes
Online Early
Open Access
© 2026 The Author(s). Industrial Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Regents of the University of California (RUC).
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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