Hairdressing apprenticeships grow: 50 more learners in Zürich

The combined number of people in Switzerland's dual Hairdresser EFZ and EBA programmes rose in 2025 for the first time after twelve consecutive annual declines. The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) counted 2,075 learners, up from 2,010 in 2024. That is an increase of 65, or 3.2%.

The local result is especially striking for us at The Good Barbers. The Canton of Zürich recorded 50 additional learners, rising from 424 to 474. That was the largest increase by headcount among all 26 cantons.

The first increase since 2012

Source: Federal Statistical Office, tables 101, 201 and 301. Updated 25 June 2026, retrieved 23 September 2026. Percentages and comparisons calculated by The Good Barbers.

In the FSO series we reviewed, the number of people in training fell every year from 2012 to 2024. It moved from 3,845 in 2012 to 2,010 in 2024, then rose to 2,075 in 2025. That is the first rise after twelve consecutive declines.

Entries into training also grew. The FSO recorded 888 in 2025, compared with 814 in 2024. The increase of 74 equals 9.1%. Across all occupations in Swiss dual vocational training, entries moved from 68,744 to 69,126, an increase of 0.6%.

The two hairdressing routes developed differently. EFZ entries rose from 656 to 746. EBA entries fell from 158 to 142. The overall rise in entries therefore came from the three-year EFZ route.

Zürich recorded the largest increase by headcount

The national learner total grew by 65. In the Canton of Zürich it grew by 50, from 424 to 474. That was the largest absolute increase among all 26 cantons. The next largest were Aargau with 15 additional learners and St. Gallen with 11.

Entries in Zürich also rose, from 185 to 221. Of the 74 additional entries recorded across Switzerland, 36 were in Zürich.

Both comparisons use the location of the training employer. Our shops in Enge and at Europaallee are in the canton that recorded this change.

What the three measures tell us

Entries, people in training and qualifications describe different points in an apprenticeship. Entries count contracts that came into force during the year. The learner total covers everyone recorded in training that year. Qualifications show how many certificates were awarded.

The measures are not interchangeable. In 2025, entries and the learner total rose, while qualifications fell from 701 to 671.

Why this matters from our chairs

At the chair, small decisions shape the result: how the hair falls, where weight should remain, what the client means by short, and what will still work four weeks later. Learning to see those details takes instruction, repetition and honest feedback.

The people training today will bring that judgement to future clients, teams and shops. That is why a change in the learner numbers matters to us as working barbers.

“A good haircut can look effortless. It is not. You build that skill over years, one client at a time. Seeing more people choose the trade again, especially here in Zürich, gives me real hope for its future.”

Gilberto de la Fuente
The Good Barbers

For us, those 2,075 learners are the next generation of the trade we practise in Zürich.

Data and calculation

We combined the FSO occupation codes 440100 for Hairdresser EFZ and 440300 for Hairdresser EBA and selected dual training. Cantonal values refer to the location of the training employer. An entry is linked to a training contract that took effect during the calendar year.

Our sources are the official FSO tables for entries into initial vocational education and training, people in training and qualifications awarded. The definitions are set out in the FSO methodology.

For the cantonal comparison, we calculated the 2024 to 2025 change for all 26 cantons, based on the training employer's location. The values used in every comparison are available in our downloadable CSV extract.

Gilberto de la Fuente
The Good Barbers, Zürich