Page 3 - Professional Beauty Association

Professional Beauty Association | 3

Poet Ellen Sturgis Hooper once wrote that she slept and dreamed life was beauty, but upon awak-

ing, she learned life was duty. That same sentiment foreshadows analysis of the beauty industry.

Whether one is dreaming of such a career or currently living out their professional dreams, rest as-

sured there is an ally dutifully serving to ensure professionals are reaping the rewards, as well as the

respect, they deserve and demand.

C

osmetology and barber schools

were recognized last year as the

fastest growing industry in Amer-

ica. Data fromtheUnited StatesDepartment

of Labor suggests that by 2018, demand for

hairdressers, stylists and cosmetologists will

spur job increases by 20 percent. Demand

for skincare experts is anticipated to raise job

growth as high as 38 percent. The last de-

cade may be historically remembered as an

era of economic stagnation, so distinguished

by downsizing, but in this very same period,

jobs in the beauty industry increased by 18

percent. That’s not necessarily hair-raising

news; growth in the salon industry alone

has outpaced the overall economy during