Barber
Barbers cut hair and shape beards, working mostly with clippers, scissors and a straight razor.
- Median salary
- $62,900
4.0%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 65,400
0.6%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +5.6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Barbers work in barbershops and, increasingly, in salons, cutting short hair, fading and trimming beards, and finishing with a wet shave. The trade sits close to hairdressing but differs in focus: a barber's core skills are clipper work, fades and facial hair, while a hairdresser spends more of the week on colour, longer hair and styling. Most barbers start as employees in a shop and move to commission or chair rental once they have built a clientele.
How much do barbers earn?
The median full-time salary for a barber is $62,900 per annum, before tax, up $13,100 since 2018.
How you are paid matters as much as how busy you are: an award wage as an employee, a commission split with the shop, or rent for a chair while you keep what you charge. Earnings grow with your book of regulars, so a barber with a full week in a busy shop takes home more than one still building clientele. Weekend and evening hours are the busiest times, and the arrangements themselves vary widely between shops.
What does a barber do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Cutting clients back to back from the one chair, with little real gap between appointments
- Working out what a client means by a rough description and matching it to how their hair actually grows
- Running a straight razor around ears and necklines, where there is no room for a shaky hand
- Keeping a conversation going chair after chair, including on days when you would rather work in silence
- Cleaning and sterilising clippers, scissors, razors and chairs between clients without letting the line fall behind
What skills do barbers need?
Employers look for hand and power tool work, personal care services, craft and handmade production, backed by Clippers and trimmers fluency and strong customer service.
Specialist skills
- Hand and power tool work
- Personal care services
- Craft and handmade production
Software and tools
- Clippers and trimmers
- Straight razors
- Scissors
- Sterilisation equipment
- Point-of-sale systems
General skills
- Customer service
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 65,400 people work as barbers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 5.6% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a barber?
Here's the path most barbers take, step by step.
- 1Start with a Certificate III in Barbering
This is the standard qualification, offered by TAFE and private barbering academies, and it covers clipper work, fades, razor shaves and hygiene. Full-time study usually takes about a year, longer if you study while working.
- 2Take it on as an apprenticeship if you can
An Australian Apprenticeship combines the certificate with paid work in a shop, usually over two to three years. The hours you spend at the chair are what employers ask about at interview, and many apprentices stay on where they trained.
- 3Check your state's rules on shaving and skin penetration
Barbering itself is not licensed nationally, but the rules covering razors, skin penetration and hygiene are set by state and territory health authorities, so check what applies where you intend to work before offering shaves.
- 4Build a clientele, then decide how you want to be paid
Once you have regulars asking for you by name, you can move from an hourly wage to commission or rent your own chair, keeping more of what you charge but carrying the quiet weeks yourself.
Ready to apply as a barber?
Whether you're working toward becoming a barber or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a barber move to?
Moving into Store Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $21,300 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store Manager Barbers bring customer service and cash handling experience to store management, with training in stock and staff leadership.Known move | +$21,300 | 4% | reskill |
| Salon Manager Barbers can step up to run a barbershop or salon, combining grooming knowledge with roster and team management. | +$2,100 | 7% | reskill |
| Hairdresser Barbers can broaden into hairdressing, applying cutting and client care skills with further salon training. | +$0 | 35% | reskill |
| Beauty Therapist Barbers bring precision tool skills and client care to beauty therapy, needing further study in skin and cosmetic treatments.Known move | −$1,600 | 35% | reskill |
| Eyelash Technician Barbers bring steady hands and consultation skills to eyelash work, adding a short course in lash extensions.Known move | −$11,900 | 56% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a barber?
The typical barber is 36 years old; 76% are women, 51% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 36
- Median age
- 76%
- Female share
- 51%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a barber?
The work is social and physical at the same time: you are on your feet for most of a shift, and every client expects a conversation along with the cut. Shops run on regulars, so the rhythm of your week depends on how quickly you build a book and how well you hold on to it. It suits people who like talking to strangers, can keep a steady hand while a queue waits, and accept that Saturday is the biggest day of the week.
What people like
- You see the result within the hour. A cut takes half an hour from start to finish, and the client walks out looking different. There is no long project between you and the outcome, which suits people who like finishing things.
- Your regulars do the marketing. A full book comes from people coming back and bringing a friend, so consistency at the chair compounds over the years without any advertising.
- You can end up running the place. Renting a chair or opening your own shop is a realistic step once you have a clientele, and it changes how much of what you charge you actually keep.
- The trade is portable. The tools fit in a bag and the qualification is recognised across Australia, so the work moves with you if you change towns.
What people find hard
- Standing all day with few breaks. Shops often book back to back, and a busy Saturday can run through lunch without a proper pause. Feet, knees and shoulders take the wear over a career.
- Saturdays and late nights are the job. Most clients book outside office hours, so the trade takes weekends and evenings as a matter of course.
- Your income follows your book. On commission or chair rental, a quiet week, a holiday or a few days off sick comes straight out of your pay, and there is no paid leave unless you are an employee.
- Small talk on demand. The chair expects conversation even on days you would rather work quietly, and reading when a client wants silence is a skill in itself.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ barbers?
Other Services employs the largest share of barbers.
Top employing industries
- 1Other Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Certificate III/IV | 72% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 15.7% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 7.1% | |
| Bachelor degree | 1.8% | |
| Postgraduate | 0.4% |
Will AI replace barbers?
Barbering has very little exposure to AI and automation, and the reason is the work itself. A cut or a shave needs a person standing over the client, reading how the hair sits and adjusting on the spot, and plenty of customers come as much for the half hour in the chair as for the haircut. Software has changed the booking and payment side of the shop rather than the craft.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Cutting hairClippers and scissors are still guided by hand and eye, and no two heads of hair grow the same way, so a fade cannot be run from a template.45%low
- Beard trims and straight razor shavesRazor work along a jawline or around an ear is done by feel, with the client sitting right there if anything needs correcting.20%low
- Reading the client and holding the conversationAn app can show a style from a photo, but deciding what suits a client's face and hair type, and working out whether they want to talk, is a judgement made in the room.20%moderate
- Bookings, payments and stockOnline booking, card readers and social media already handle most of the appointments, takings and reminders, which keeps the desk work out of the day.15%high
Common questions about becoming a barber
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do barbers earn?
The median full-time barber earns $62,900 per annum, before tax. What you take home depends heavily on how you are paid, since employees earn an award wage or salary while commission and chair rental rise and fall with your bookings. Treat the median as a broad guide rather than a starting rate.
How do you become a barber?
The usual route is a Certificate III in Barbering (SHB30516), often completed as a paid Australian Apprenticeship in a shop over two to three years. The hours you build at the chair are what employers look for, so an apprenticeship that mixes study with real clients is the strongest start.
Are barbers in demand?
Barbers are currently in shortage nationally. Employment is projected to grow 5.6% over the decade to 2035, and openings also come from experienced barbers leaving the trade, so qualified applicants with a clientele usually find work without much trouble.
Will AI replace barbers?
There is little sign of it. Booking systems, card readers and social media have taken over the admin around the job, but a haircut or a shave needs hands, razors and a person reading the client's head in real time, which is a long way from automation.
What other work can a barber move into?
Barbers can move into salon management, where the cutting background carries over and the new skills are rosters, stock and staff, with a median pay difference of $2,100 more. Others shift across to hairdressing or beauty therapy, since the cutting, tool and client care skills overlap, though both need further study and the median pay difference for beauty therapy is $1,600 less. Renting a chair or opening your own shop is the other established path, and it is often where earnings grow.
Do barbers need a licence?
Barbering is not licensed nationally, but skin penetration rules covering razors and shaves are set by state and territory health authorities, so check what applies in your area before offering wet shaves. Employers still expect the Certificate III in Barbering as the entry qualification.
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