Jobs In The Beauty Industry- Are They Safe?

As a beauty school, we are asked to answer a lot of questions about the latest beauty trends as well as the best way to do certain beauty procedures. Something else that people usually ask about is jobs in the beauty industry. They want to know if they can find a job, does it pay the bills and if the industry is stable. In 2009, Professional Beauty Association’s conducted a survey to find out just how stable the beauty industry is at a time when most businesses are experiencing a loss. Here are some highlights of their findings:

Growth In The Non-Employer Sector
There has been a steady growth in the salon and spa industry over the last ten years, especially in the non-employer sector. Non-employers are businesses that do not have any paid employees. This includes independent contractors who work from home, rent a chair in a beauty salon or have their own business, but do all of the work on their own without the support of a staff.

Increase In Establishments
During the last ten years the number of non-employer salon and spa establishments increased 72% with an increase in sales of 116%. The number of employment-based salon and spa establishments increased by 11% with an increase in sales of 47%.

Fewer Lost Jobs
Between the fourth quarters of 2008 and 2009, the national economy experienced a net loss of more than 92,000 private-sector business establishments – a decline of 1.0%.  The beauty industry had a net loss of 130 businesses- a decline of 0.1%

Increase In Jobs
There were 1.6 million fewer jobs in most private job sectors between the years 2000 and 2011. However, employment based salons and spas added 75,000 jobs during this time.

Expected Growth
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of personal appearance jobs is projected to jump 31%between 2008 and 2018, nearly three times the rate of growth of total U.S. employment (11%) during the same period. The number of skin care specialist jobs is projected to jump 51%, while hairdresser, hairstylist and cosmetologist positions are expected to increase by 31%

More Self Employment Opportunities
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics more than 1.1 million professionals work in personal appearance occupations in the United States- 33% of which are self-employed. In comparison, only seven percent of the overall U.S. workforce is self-employed.

Some Self Employment Stats In The Beauty Industry
Of the 770,000 Hairdressers, Hairstylists and Cosmetologists, 35 percent (or 267,000) are self-employed. Barbers have the highest proportion of self-employed individuals, at 54 percent.

While most industries are male dominated, the beauty industry allows women and people of many different backgrounds to run their own businesses. 61% of salons are owned by women in comparison to 30% in the private sectors. 21% of salons are owned by African Americans in comparison to 7% of the private sector. 17% of salons are owned by Asians in comparison to 6% of the private sector. 9% of salons are owned by Asians in comparison to 9% of the private sector.

As you can see, the beauty industry is doing exceptionally well during the recession. It offers jobs at a time when other sectors are laying people off and allows people of all genders and ethnicities to grow and prosper.