A Survey of Nail Salon Workers and Owners in California During COVID-19

California has the largest number of nail salon workers and businesses in the country. There are more than 100,000 licensed manicurists who work in mom-and-pop salons throughout the state, and more than 90% have fewer than 10 employees. The nail salon industry is primarily owned and staffed by Vietnamese immigrants and refugees, who have created ethnic entrepreneurship and economic niches that are unique to the industry.

The industry faces complex challenges for workers, who earn low wages and encounter a variety of labor issues, and for employers, most of whom run small salons and are expected to provide services at low costs. Nail salons were upended by COVID-19 and the resulting shelter-in-place order in March 2020 that forced them all to shut down. The effects on an already vulnerable workforce and sector have been devastating. This brief provides a snapshot of the challenges experienced by nail salon workers and owners in California.

On April 14, 2020, the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative launched an online survey in Vietnamese and English as part of their emergency assistance aid application process. The Collaborative used existing contact lists as well as salons listed with the Healthy Nail Salon Recognition Program in five cities and counties to reach workers and owners. Survey participants have also been recruited through word of mouth. As of May 27, 2020, the Collaborative had collected 636 worker and 90 owner surveys. The UCLA Labor Center analyzed the responses and summarized the findings here.