With hair salons forced to close for months due to coronavirus lockdowns, we’ve all learned to appreciate getting our hair cut by a professional, but Gen Z is looking forward to a career in the profession. Amid the avoidance, salons are warning of staff shortages.
The number of trainees signing up for hairdressing apprenticeships has fallen by 70% over the past decade. This, combined with a wave of high street salon closures, means people in the UK could face longer waits for appointments in the coming years.
Hiring new stylists is becoming almost “impossible”, says Josh Wood, a hair colorist and founder of a major West London salon. “It’s been a brilliant, illustrious career. It has enabled me to own a large and profitable business from the Barnsley council estate. But it’s very difficult to take someone on now. The talent pool is getting smaller.”
The numbers are tough. In the UK alone, the number of trainees signing up for hairdressing apprenticeships fell from 13,180 in 2015 to 4,160 in 2023, according to Department for Education figures. Last year, 1,520 students completed training in the UK, down from 8,660 in 2015.
“It’s a tragedy,” says Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council, which champions Britain’s £4.6 billion hairdressing and beauty industry. “The UK is recognized around the world for the quality of its haircuts and the skill of its hairstylists, and this recruitment crisis threatens that.”
Part of the problem, industry experts say, is that hairdressing is perceived by young people as a low-paying profession. The decline in apprenticeships is also due to school leavers choosing university courses instead, but salon owners complain that this is no substitute for learning on the job. are. It is said that it takes an average of 16 weeks for a salon vacancy to be filled.
Closure is also an issue. While barber shops, nail bars, and beauty salons are all thriving, the number of hairdressers is decreasing. According to the Local Data Company, the total number of hair salons in the UK fell by 319 in the year to 1 July 2024, while hair salons and nail bars rose by more than 1,000.
The UK barber industry is struggling to rebuild its business due to financial strain due to long closures during the pandemic. Salons, which have had to post prices, sometimes multiple times, have struggled to pass on significant increases in business costs such as energy and wages to customers amid the cost of living crisis.
Most businesses are small businesses with just a few employees, and a common complaint is that there is no incentive to expand and hire new employees due to the so-called VAT ‘cliff edge’.
Once a company’s taxable turnover reaches £90,000, it will have to charge VAT on its sales, which could have an impact on competitiveness, especially if nearby competitors are not VAT registered. Price adjustment salon claims.
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To avoid this, many owners, especially in less affluent communities, keep their costs below £90,000 or rent out their chairs to freelancers. The situation has led to calls for the government to introduce a phased system to smooth the transition.
Carolyn Larissey, chief executive of the industry’s largest trade association, the American Federation of Barbering and Cosmetology, said salons are “an essential part of every community, providing hubs for social interaction and relief from the pressures of everyday life.” “part”. .
Larisse added that hair and beauty roles need to be recognized and supported as a viable career option for young people. “As a nation, we need to collectively respect the importance of our sector, both in its financial contribution to the economy and in the well-being of the country,” she says.
