Worker prospects in Hong Kong hair, beauty sector not cut and dried amid staff shortages

AI Summary

Hong Kong’s hair and beauty sector is facing staff shortages as workers move into the industry from other professional backgrounds. The article highlights changing career paths and labor demand in the city’s service economy.

Hongkonger Terrence Wu Chung-ting puts on an apron, picks up a comb and massages hair essence into a client’s scalp during a treatment for hair loss. But eight years ago, Wu’s job could not have been any more different. A finance graduate from one of the city’s top universities, he was then a marketer for beauty products and focused on sales. But when he saw untapped potential in Hong Kong’s hairdressing industry, he boldly switched careers from a white-collar to a blue-collar profession,...