Even in the wake of COVID-19, there is encouraging news about our amazing industry and how resilient we are. Did you know that we actually grew in numbers after the 2008 recession and that more operators chose to start a beauty or barbering brand than become an accountant, teacher, or dentist? Whether you are an operator, owner, or owner-operator, just know that you chose correctly!
Fun facts to make you smile during this “quarantine and reset” time:
- Beauty and barbering represent the largest industry for independent contractors and freelancers (second only to the landscaping industry)
- People share more with their hairdresser or barber than they do with their counselor or psychologist
- Changing estimates put the beauty market at an estimated $532 billion USD. (That’s billion with a B.)
- The biggest trend in 2015 involved innovations in male grooming (Have you seen the new #manweave hashtag on Instagram?)
- In 2012, U.S. barbers, hairdressers, and cosmetologists held about 856,200 jobs. Upwards of 65%-70% were self-employed.
- The number of U.S. industry operators (cosmetologists) is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.5%, reaching 1.3 million operators by 2019.
- Overall employment of barbers, hairdressers, and cosmetologists is projected to grow 13 percent from 2012 to 2022.
- The 10 best U.S. markets for cosmetologists: Louisville, Minneapolis, Charleston, San Diego, Dallas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Miami, New York City.
Being a cosmetologist, nail tech, mobile hairdresser, makeup artist, eyebrow/eyelash artist, weaveologist, or traveling barber gives you the license to create and service your clients whenever, wherever! The beauty and style industry is THE BEST industry because you have the opportunity to effect someone’s self-confidence. Be confident in knowing that there will always be a demand for hairdressers, barbers, makeup artists, estheticians, massage therapists, and nail technicians. In fact, hairdressers ranks #10 as “best social services jobs” based on a U.S. News & World report. 😉 In addition, beauty was one industry that grew during the 2008 economic downturn. Think about that!
Based on the study commissioned by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of barbers, hairdressers, and cosmetologists is expected to grow more than 10% from 2014 to 2024—which is faster than the average 7% growth for all other U.S. occupations!
There’s so much more to what we do than cutting hair,” says Scott J. Buchanan, president of Scott J. Salons & Spas in New York City and the 2013-2014 chairman of the Professional Beauty Association. “We also get to change people’s lives and make them feel good about themselves.
We couldn’t agree more! We’ll come out of this pandemic stronger than ever because we’ve done it before. Hang in there, fam!
