It is important to hire a licensed electrician. There are advantages that you have to looking for someone with these qualifications, including the following.
It shows that they learned how to do the electrical work
In order to get a license an electrician must fulfill certain qualifications. They must have some schooling in this and an apprenticeship. This shows that they learned how to do it. Obviously you want someone who knows how to do the work. You want someone who will be able to correctly diagnose your problem and know how to fix it correctly. If you need some new work done you want them to know the best way to do this. If you get someone without a license then you may have no idea how much they know about electrical work. They may have just decided that they are interested in being an electrician and start working. They may not know the exact ways to do it.
You want them to know how to do things safely
It is especially important for them to have a license and be knowledgeable when it comes to electrical work because of the safety issues. When someone is doing electrical work, they can electrocute you or themselves. Also, if they leave wiring that is not safe then it can cause a fire even after they have left. When they have the license you know they have learned things that should hopefully minimize the chances of this.
You want them to know code
It is important that the work be done to code. A licensed electrician should know the codes. They should be able to make sure that things are done correctly.
You might have to end up getting the work done over
Electricians are not legally allowed to work without a license. If you use an unlicensed electrician and it is found out then you might end up having to get the work done again. You may have to pay all over again for the same work to be done by someone with a license.
Your insurance might not cover you if you have a problem
If you used an unlicensed electrician and he did something wrong, which caused a fire you can have a problem with your insurance. If they find out that you knew that someone was uninsured and you try to make a claim, they may be able to deny your claim.
It is important to hire a licensed electrician for work you need done. The above points highlight why this is the case.