The Tragedy of Licensing

My study finds licensing for manicurists and more burdensome licensing for barbers has no effect on public health and safety—even though protecting health and safety is the official rationale for licensing those and many other occupations. If licensing fails to achieve this goal, then that makes its costs especially troubling, even tragic, because they are entirely avoidable.

Some barbers and manicurists have successful careers. Craig Hunt and Kristin House, for instance, are successful business owners. But for many, maybe even most, their expensive and time-consuming training may never pay off.

Today, an aspiring manicurist in Connecticut will likely pay over $4,000 to attend an approved 100-hour training program at a private beauty school. 1 That $4,000 equates to 13% of the median annual wage of manicurists in Connecticut. 2  Meanwhile, an aspiring barber in Mississippi will likely pay even more to attend an approved 1,500-hour training program at a private institution. 3 Yet the median wage for barbers in Mississippi is a mere $22,190. 4  As noted above, their lifetime return on investment is likely to be negative. 5

The government has a legitimate interest in protecting the public. It does not have a legitimate interest in forcing people into expensive and time-consuming training programs that will saddle them with debt for no good reason.

These burdens often fall most heavily on the people least able to bear them. 6 People who attend training programs to obtain licensure tend to come from less educated households—a major determinant of income and wealth. 7 And research on cosmetology school students specifically has found they tend to come from lower-income households—with disproportionate numbers qualifying for Pell grants, which cover only a portion of their education expenses. 8  Taking out loans to attend cosmetology school is common, as is failing to graduate on time, which often means having to pay additional tuition. Common, too, is dropping out, which may mean being left with crippling debt and nothing to show for it. 9  As Kristin put it, “This job [manicurist] is great for single moms, people coming out of prison, and the cost is just so steep.”

Eliminating licensing for beauty occupations and relying on existing inspection systems would not only ensure health and safety, but it would also remove barriers for everyday people who just want to make an honest living in the occupation of their choice.

Ironically, schools were once the more accessible doorway for everyday people to enter an occupation like barber. 10  But that was when schools had to compete for students by providing value—before government made attendance all but mandatory, giving schools a captive audience. As it stands, many graduates of beauty and personal care training programs—about 1 in 6 cosmetology program graduates according to one survey—report never using the skills they learned in their program in their current job. 11  The reason for this is unknown, but it seems likely that at least some of these people entered the job market underprepared for the occupation they trained for. Indeed, Craig and Kristin report that this is a major problem in their industries, with graduates of barber and manicurist programs and those wishing to hire new barbers and manicurists all frustrated by the poor training schools provide. This is a big part of why Craig and Kristin feel an obligation to help ease the way for the next generation of barbers and manicurists. Craig mentors aspiring barbers and offers apprenticeships. Kristin mentors aspiring nail technicians and has an educational podcast. One of her favorite pieces of advice for aspirants: Find the cheapest program that will fulfill licensing requirements in your state and save your money for courses on the techniques you want to specialize in.

The government has a legitimate interest in protecting the public. It does not have a legitimate interest in forcing people into expensive and time-consuming training programs that will saddle them with debt for no good reason. Eliminating licensing for beauty occupations and relying on existing inspection systems would not only ensure health and safety, but it would also remove barriers for everyday people who just want to make an honest living in the occupation of their choice. 12