CUTTERS FACING BIG STAFF SHORTAGE
BEHIND the welcoming smiles and stylish locks is an industry that needs to “take a good hard look at themselves” if they are to survive, according to a veteran hairdresser.
Frances Nelligan owns Fringe Hair in Pimlico and said she’d struggled to find
hairdressers for the past few years to help grow her business.
“Without staff we can’t service our waitlist of clients,” Miss Nelligan said.
“And we’re not alone, ask any hair salon owner what their biggest challenge is and they’ll tell you it’s being unable to find staff. It’s not just a Townsville issue, this is
an industry wide problem.” Miss Nelligan said there were a raft of issues that had to be addressed to ensure hairdressers remained in the industry long term and more apprentices signed up.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of people enrolled into Certificate 3 Hairdressing has
dropped by over 40 per cent in the past 10 years, from 6411 in 2011 to 3711 in 2019.
Of those who enrol, around 50 per cent don’t complete the course, leaving just 1850 new hairdressers each year.
Miss Nelligan said Fringe Hair was now taking the step of not opening on Saturdays from next year.