- Full-time barbers work at least 40-hour a week. Those who are self-employed may work longer hours. These latter individuals make up about 46 percent of the total working barbers. The daily work schedule will encompass weekend hours and possibly evening stints. This is particularly true for barbers who own their own shops. About 19 percent of barbers work part-time and 11 percent have schedules that vary from day to day.
- The primary task for barbers serving men is to cut hair. This single action represents the bulk of each workday. Barbers may also offer shampoos and hair styling, as well. Some barbers will shave clients and provide scalp treatments. If licensed, they may perform additional services such as coloring hair or skin and nail care. Barbers whose clientele is primarily female will focus on shampoos, haircuts, styling and coloring. Additional care may be offered by adjunct workers, such as manicurists. Barbers are also responsible for keeping the barbershop clean and neat, sweeping up hair and neatening utensils between clients.
- All states require workers in this field to be licensed. Getting a license often involves a degree from a licensed barber college or school of cosmetology. These training programs may take as long as nine months to finish. After that, most graduates serve some sort of apprenticeship with a working barber. Although not a subject of training, a necessary qualification for successful barbers is good people skills, since their clientele will vary widely from day to day.
- Fifty percent of the barbers on salary in 2006 earned between $8.71 and $14.25 per hour. The highest 10 percent earned $20.56 or more per hour, while the lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.12 per hour. Some self-employed barbers, as well as salaried ones, may also earn commissions. Vacations with pay and medical benefits are not available to many of the self-employed barbers.
- There were 60,000 barbers in the U.S. in 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This number is estimated to grow to 61,000 by 2016, Even with current barbers retiring or leaving this line of work, the total size of the workforce will not change that much. This means that competition for the best jobs will be an issue when considering this as a career.
