Workers in healthcare occupations most likely to have certifications or licenses in 2015

April 20, 2016

Overall, 25.5 percent of employed people had a certification or license in 2015. Certifications and licenses are credentials that show a person has the skill or knowledge to perform a job. Licenses are awarded by a government agency and signal a legal authority to work in an occupation. Certifications are issued by a professional or industry organization, rather than a government agency. People may have more than one certification or license. People with a license may also have a certification. The percentage of workers with certifications or licenses varied by occupation.

About 3 in 4 workers in healthcare practitioners and technical occupations and about half of workers in healthcare support occupations had a certification or license in 2015. (Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations include nurses, doctors, and physical, occupational, and respiratory therapists. Healthcare support occupations include nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides.) Other occupations with high incidences of certifications or licenses include legal occupations (68.1 percent) and education, training, and library occupations (55.5 percent). In most fields, licenses were much more common than certifications.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see the page about professional certifications and licenses. Additional information is in the Commissioner's Corner blog, "Why This Counts: New Timely Data on Professional Certifications and Licenses."