Launched by VietAID and Greater Boston Legal Services’ Asian Outreach Unit (AOU), the Massachusetts Nail Salon Project seeks to provide services and support workers to address the challenges that the nail salon industry is facing.
The need for a sustainable industry was never more apparent than in 2020, when the Coronoavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced Massachusetts nail salons to undergo a shutdown, slowdown in business, and multiple alterations to the setup of the nail salon. Workers and owners faced difficulties accessing relief and benefits, supporting their families, and accessing information in their native language.
This report sheds light on the unique experiences of Vietnamese nail salon workers in Massachusetts both before and during the pandemic. This report is a collection of findings from 52 qualitative interviews with workers from 2016-2020, survey responses from 51 workers and 15 owners during the pandemic, and informal stories from our community partners.
All of our interviews and most of our surveys highlight workers’ nuanced experiences. But we recognize that workers’ experiences in the industry are intertwined with that of owners. We were also able to survey some owners during the pandemic given the interconnectedness of the community’s experiences in the industry.
Our findings uplift voices who are most impacted by the industry. As the industry continues to face challenges during the pandemic, we hope that this report can provide useful recommendations for supporting all nail salon staff and sustaining local nail salons in the long term. To view the report, click download above.
Vietnamese translation of the report coming soon.