Would you rather: Your child go get a $60k desk degree, or a TAFE Trade Qualification?

If my daughter was finishing school this year and she asked me what I think she should do, I'd be telling her to go to TAFE, not Melbourne Uni, not RMIT, not Monash - TAFE.

For multiple generations, parents have pushed their kids toward degree qualifications behind a screen. And look, I get it, we want our kids to find success and status and all the things, but the tide is changing and a fresh degree in tech, for example, could get swallowed whole within a matter of months.

Anthropic, the company behind the AI tool Claude, just dropped a massive report on which jobs are actually being swallowed by artificial intelligence, like, right now. And you know what's barely on the radar? Personal care. Hairdressing. Beauty therapy.

A chart from Anthropic showing how much of different jobs AI could possibly do (the blue part) compared with how much AI is actually being used to do those jobs right now (the red part). Image: Anthropic

The report found that personal care sits at just 18.2% theoretical AI coverage. That means less than a fifth of what we do could even hypothetically be touched by AI. Compare that to computer programming at 75%. Business and finance? Almost fully exposed. Office admin, legal, customer service - all getting eaten alive.

And here's the kicker, it's not just what AI could do, it's what it's already doing. The gap between theoretical capability and actual usage is enormous in white-collar jobs. But in our world? AI hasn't even shown up to the party. The observed usage in personal care is practically nil. Meanwhile, the data shows a 14% drop in hiring rates for young workers in AI-exposed occupations since 2022.

The researchers found that the most at-risk workers tend to be older, more educated, higher paid, and more likely to hold a bachelor's degree. Having a degree is no longer the career safety net it used to be. The professional beauty services market is projected to grow from $247.6 billion in 2026 to over $432 billion by 2034. That's an industry on the frigging move right there. And to be fair, we need the people.

During COVID, I was a recruiter in the industry, and it was DIABOLICAL. Hair and beauty were among the first to close and the last to reopen, because of how physically close we are to our clients. We lost people. A lot of them. Salons, clinics and barbershops globally are still competing for skilled workers, and the shortage is ongoing. But that thing that hurt us, the proximity, the hands-on, the human touch, is now our greatest strength.

You cannot automate a balayage. You cannot get AI to read a client's face when they sit in your chair and say "just a trim" but mean "I'm going through something and I need to feel like myself again." That is the job, and it requires our hands and our instinct and our humanity.

So here's where my brain goes. If this data becomes common knowledge, and it will, probably within the next few weeks/months, what happens when a wave of smart, tech-savvy school leavers look at the career landscape and think, "actually, beauty therapy looks pretty safe"? Because that's not a fantasy, itt's already starting.

Research shows 77% of Gen Z say it's important their future job is hard to automate, and more young workers are actively turning toward skilled trades. Mainstream media are also now actively reporting that trades are the safest bet for a career going forward.

So the question isn't whether this industry is safe. It is. The question is, are you ready? Is your brand solid? Do you look professional online? Are you selling yourself and your salon well? Because what happens if a bunch of new hairdressers or skin therapists enter the market and they're tech and marketing savvy? They're showing up online. They're using AI to help run the backend of their business, build their websites, streamline their bookings.

What if they're doing the thing that half the industry has been putting off for years, and they're doing it on day one? I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm saying it because for the first time in a long time, the wind is at our backs and the data proves it. This is a safe, growing, in-demand industry that AI cannot replace yet.

But it can be used by your competition to out market you.

Is your brand actually....branding? A checklist for salon and beauty business owners.

Run through this list. Be honest with yourself. And if you're ticking less than half - it's time.

Your photography

• Do you have professional photos of your space, your team, and yourself that are less than 12 months old?

• Do you have imagery that shows the experience of being in your salon, not just the end result?

• Is there a single photo on your website or socials where a potential client can see your face and think "I trust this person"?

• Have you invested in a brand shoot that captures your vibe, your space, and your people, not just your work?

  
  

Your video content

• Do you have at least one piece of video content that shows what it feels like to walk into your salon or clinic?

• Are you using video to show your process, the transformation, the skill, the care?

• Does your video content look intentional, or does it look like an afterthought?

• Have you got a short-form video (Reel, TikTok, YouTube Short) that you'd be proud to show a stranger and say "this is what we do"?

Your online presence

• Does your Instagram grid tell a cohesive visual story, or does it look like five different people run it?

• When someone lands on your website, do they immediately understand who you are, what you do, and what it's like to be your client?

• Are you using your best imagery on your Google Business profile, the place most new local clients will find you first?

• Is your booking page clean, professional, and easy to navigate?

• Do your socials feature you or your team as real humans, not just disembodied hands doing hair or skin?

Your brand consistency

• Could someone look at your website, your Instagram, your Google listing, and your in-salon signage and know it's the same business?

• Do you have a consistent colour palette, font style, and visual tone across everything?

• If you handed your phone to someone who'd never heard of your business, would they be able to describe your brand in three words?

Your competitive readiness

• If a brand-new salon opened down the road tomorrow with a polished website, killer photography, and a strong social presence, would you feel confident in your brand next to theirs?

• Are you using AI or any tools to help with the backend stuff (bookings, admin) so you can focus on the creative and client-facing side?

If you're sitting there thinking "well, that's confronting" it's okay!

The industry is safe, but your brand is the thing that gets people through the door in the first place. And the new wave coming through? They're going to know that from day one.

Don't let someone who's been in the game five minutes outshine someone who's been perfecting their craft for fifteen years, just because they showed up better online.

Get your imagery sorted. Get your brand tight. And if you need a hand, you know where to find me *wink *

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