Why Beauty Pros Go

Forty percent of hairstylists who have left the professional beau industry said they did so because their income was less than expected, according to a new national survey conducted on behalf of Vidal Sassoon Salons and the International Chain Salon Association (ICSA) by Procter & Gamble. In fact, 77% of former stylists surveyed reported that they grossed less than $400 per week. Of that group, 59% made less than $300 per week. (By comparison, the average weekly stylist salary in the cities surveyed is $600.)

Other reasons cited for leaving included no health/medical/life insurance benefits (36%), to change careers (28%), not enough opportunities to advance (19%), and to spend time with their families (19%). Other contributors to career dissatisfaction included overall working conditions, long hours, stress on the body, and lack of professional respect. Among the actions suggested to stem worker dissatisfaction setting more realistic expectations when it comes to salary, benefits and working conditions; educating students on how to build a clientele; developing mentoring programs that pair new or younger employees with successful salon personnel; rewarding years of se with flexible hours and better benefits; and conducting year reviews that include goals for the following year.