Yes we are struggling massively. We've been advertising chairs for a reasonable price, flexible hours, great benefits in a newly refurbed salon, since June. So far we've only had mild interest. We potentially have a stylist starting this spring/summer, fresh out of college.
However, interest from nail techs and beauticians has been constant. We've never advertised for new nail/beauty staff, but we get so many enquiries. I'm guessing this is because day courses/online courses are so popular and convenient now that everyone seems to be a nail tech. Have you got the facilities to accommodate something like this instead of hair?
I think it's just a scary time for the self employed. Working from home/mobile seems to work really well for stylists, so why would they want to be tied down and paying chair rent?
How about reaching out to stylists directly? Find local stylists on facebook/instagram and if you like their work, drop them a message!