Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

Provide beauty services, such as cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp. May shampoo hair, apply makeup, dress wigs, remove hair, and provide nail and skincare services.

The occupation "Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists" has a moderate automation risk of 29.0%, based on a base risk of 29.5%. This moderate risk stems from the mixture of routine and creative tasks inherent in this profession. Certain processes within a salon, such as maintaining cleanliness, sanitizing tools, and following set procedures for coloring or cutting hair, are relatively standardized and repetitive. These aspects make them particularly suited for automation via emerging robotics and smart equipment. The top three most automatable tasks—sanitizing tools and workstations, applying hair dyes or tints, and cutting or trimming hair according to specified instructions—can generally be replicated by machines programmed for consistency and precision, especially as technologies in robotics and AI advance. However, several core aspects of the hairdressing profession remain resistant to automation due to their reliance on complex human skills and adaptability. The most resistant tasks include attaching wigs or hairpieces with artistic styling, providing personalized facials, and nail care such as shaping and polishing. These activities require careful hand-eye coordination, a nuanced understanding of individual client preferences, and manual dexterity that current machines struggle to replicate. In addition, many of these services demand real-time creative problem-solving and a personal touch to tailor outcomes for each client, maintaining the human element as a critical differentiator in service quality. The key bottleneck skills that limit the automation of this occupation revolve around originality. With scores of 3.8% and 3.1%, originality—defined as the capacity to develop new ideas, create personalized looks, and make judgment-based adjustments—plays a vital role in the ongoing value offered by hairdressers and cosmetologists. While machines are adept at executing standardized techniques, they lack the intuitive creativity that enables professionals to innovate or adapt to emerging trends and unique client features. This need for creative judgment and personal aesthetic sense suggests that, while automation may streamline certain repetitive tasks, the core competencies that make the occupation valuable are protected, keeping the risk of full automation relatively low.