More licensure with requirements for using the license might be good for a gig economy, but likely only if we have some way of vetting licenses for general usefulness, so they aren't just ways to limit a market and protect the existing license holders and not the public.[1]

If we had rules about what a license should promote (such as public safety, accountability, etc) and what it should try to prevent (rent seeking, protectionism) and metrics by which to measure this (even if an impartial panel), we could possible greatly increase the number of licenses we require while also lowering the bar of entry for many existing licensed businesses.

I understand this would be a tricky path to take. It's layering bureaucracy, which is often problematic. But I'm not sure we necessarily want random unaccountable people driving around throwing packages at us, nor doctors practicing without experience, and I don't think having to pay $1000 and take a one week course for licensure to deliver packages for Amazon is useful either.

1: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/04/14/524007928/episo...