EVERYONE IS LEARNING TO DO IT THEMSELVES

Soon the world will run out of jobs in the beauty and wellness industry, not because the people offering these services and harnessing these skills are scarce, but rather because the economy forces their market to be self-sufficient. The things that people are willing to spend their money on a monthly or more frequent basis as a part of grooming and self-care seem like mere things, until you observe how they have a huge economic impact. When you go to town, you will observe there are more small businesses than there are big businesses. Some of the biggest malls are flooded with skill based services, such as the nail technicians, the hairstylists, the tailors and other similar business models.

Opportunities

These businesses take care of many families, they play an integral part in a lower unemployment rate and offer a diverse selection of opportunities for the low class group in society, taking into consideration that often times this group has limited access to opportunities like higher education, employment, bursaries among other things. These jobs require little capital and are easy to learn and start and thus provide a platform for the lower class to be engaged in economic activities and earn something.

The unfortunate part is that the same economy continues to shift shape – meaning it is not constant – and as a result, the industries that thrive at a particular time, get thrown off the map with time. The businesses at hand are no exception to this reality, because the market that they cater to no longer affords these services. What seems like self-care has become all the more expensive that it has begun to become a luxury. While salaries have remained the same, the responsibilities and demands have increased by the day, and even more so fulfilling these responsibilities is getting more expensive by the day.

Survive

A household that would survive the month with E1 000 worth of groceries can barely make it to three weeks now and so they have to spend E1 500 or slightly more now on groceries monthly - keep in mind that this is not the only expense they have and by the end of the day, they barely have anything left to spend on themselves and so cutting down on hair, nails, outings etc. becomes non-negotiable. Circumstances demand that women spend less in these areas in order to survive, however the ripple effect of this is far beyond decreasing expenditure for the individual.

Now, women are learning to ‘boss up’ which means the people that have been earning from these services are losing clients by the margin, simply because their customers can no longer afford to pay for the services they provide even at discounted levels. Women are doing their own nails at home now, learning to braid their own hair, learning to style their own wigs and man are learning to shave their heads at home, they are investing in buying their own machine and shampoo, to save money. It is working for the average individual that was spending likely E1 300 a month on hair and nails, because this means that they now have that amount available, to cover more important things like transport or rent.

Save

It does not help that access to information has become so easy, so learning how to do your own hair is just a button away and will definitely save you money. This is a good money saving tactic because it saves a lot of unnecessary costs and allows people to invest in other areas. As good as this is for the individual, the consequences are painful for the one offering these services to make a living, when everyone is able to do their own makeup, who is left that wants to pay them for it? The rate at which these small businesses make profit is decreasing by the day, which means that as long as we continue to suffer at the hands of an unfavourable economy many such businesses will close down, with many skilled people sitting at home.

This is more worrisome because a majority of these business owners do not have access to the formal market and, therefore, skilled labour is their best shot at generating an income. The big question, therefore, is whether there is a way to boost the small business and low income market? Can it be saved somehow or are there way that can be implemented to improve skills based industries in order to encourage individuals to use them as opposed to learning how to do it themselves?

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