Beards, brows, hipsters and pompadours... but no barbers
Male grooming has never been as big, but it’s facing a hairy dilemma
WE’VE had close shaves before, but this could be the unkindest cut yet.
Ireland is in danger of running out of barbers and may have to change the law to allow non-EU qualified scissor-wizards fill the gap, a TD has warned.
The gap in supply and demand has emerged courtesy of the increased popularity of personal grooming amongst young hipster males and some of their more elderly counterparts.
Across the country a plethora of barber shops have sprung up to deal with such new challenges as beard trimming, shaping and far subtler hair-cuts than the old short, back and sides.
However, whilst this has modestly increased the cleanliness and attractiveness of the Irish male, saloons are left combing the country to find barbers, according to Independent TD Noel Grealish.
Such is the drought, Mr Grealish has asked Heather Humphreys if ‘barbers can be removed from the list of ineligible categories under the work permit scheme’.
Mr Grealish justified the request on the basis that ‘there is a significant shortage of barbers nationwide’.
Fully qualified barbers are expected to engage in an apprenticeship of up to four years in a shop learning their trade. During that time they are paid apprentice wages of €200 a week.
Once qualified, a barber can expect to earn €120 a day or between €30,000 and €35,000 a year.
Some top barbers in the boutique shops could aspire to earning €70,000 plus.
One source said: ‘That’s the premiership, no-one became a millionaire being a barber.’
They added: ‘The disorganised nature of the trade means there is no union for barbers; you are at the mercy of the free market; which can be bad or good depending on whether you can branch out on your own.’
A spokesperson for the Department of Education and Skills told the MoS: ‘There is currently no statutory apprenticeship in hairdressing, there is a programme in development, which was proposed by the Hairdressing Council of Ireland.
‘The consortium is targeting almost 100 registrations in the apprenticeship programme in year one and is a three-year programme.’
The most recent CSO figures reveal that Ireland has 28,765 hairdressers, barbers and beauticians.
Despite their relative scale, barbers do not have a representative group or a trade union. However, several ‘traditional-style’ barbers told the Irish Mail on Sunday that an utterly changed trade is rising exponentially and that labour availability is an issue. The employer’s body Ibec has warned that dealing with skills shortages is a growing issue in the labour market. It noted that ‘recruitment of international talent forms a critical element of the growth strategy’.
Responding to queries on a national shortage of barbers, the Jobs Minister Heather Humphreys said that ‘where specific skills prove difficult to source within the State and wider EEA, an employment permit may be sought by an employer to hire a non-EEA national subject to the Employment Permits Acts and Regulations’.
Employment permits legislation, she said ‘is managed in part through the operation of the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List’.
To date, barbers have not been included on that list. The minister noted though that ‘changes to access to the Irish labour market for specific occupations can be made’.
Significantly, a review of the lists of occupations for employment permits is currently being finalised with a further review to take place in the second half of the year.
If barbers are to be removed from the Ineligible Categories of Employment List, Ms Humphreys warned there would have to be ‘a detailed evidencebased case would then need to be put forward’.
Top barbers could earn €70,000 Skills shortages are a growing issue