Beauty Therapists Added to Hairdressers Award from 1 January 2025: What You Need to Know

The Hairdressers Award in Western Australia is undergoing a significant transformation, with changes set to take effect from 1 January 2025. In a landmark update, the award will now include the beauty industry and be renamed the Hair and Beauty Industry (WA) Award. These updates, introduced by the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission, apply to employers and employees within the state industrial relations system.

 Key changes include:

• New classifications for hairdressing salon assistants, trainees, and beauty industry employees, ensuring fair recognition and pay.

• Updates to working hours, allowing ordinary hours to be worked on Sundays and weekday evenings to reflect modern trading practices.

• Revised provisions for leave, notice of termination, and record-keeping obligations to align with state and national laws.

• A restructured award for easier reference, grouping similar clauses under functional headings.

Critically, the scope of the award now extends to cover the beauty industry, ensuring employers provide employees with fair pay rates and working conditions. This expansion recognises the diverse roles within the hair and beauty sector, including waxing, facials, body massage, nail artistry, makeup application, and more.

A detailed summary of the changes are now available in December 2024. ABIC encourages all members in WA to review the updated award and ensure compliance by 1 January 2025.

For further information, please visit the Department of Industrial Relations website or contact ABIC for guidance.