Page 95 - BWM Dec 2012

December 2012 | Business World Magazine | 95
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.
Cosmetology 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