Creative industries to be re-defined

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey is urging those working in creative roles to contribute to a consultation on the definitions of Creative Industries. A report published by Nesta earlier this year claimed that the DCMS had struggled to keep its classifications up to date in the face of significant changes, including digitisation. A proposed new measurement system relates to the ‘creative intensity’ of an industry grouping: if the proportion of people doing creative jobs in a particular industry is above a 30% threshold, those industries will be candidates for being included under the DCMS definition of the Creative Industries.  Under this approach, only the industries where the creative activity happens would be counted, and organisations that ‘add value’ later, such as art retailers and auction houses, would be excluded. Working with NESTA, Creative Skillset and Creative and Cultural Skills, a specialist technical working group of the Creative Industries Council is discussing the DCMS classification with partners and industry.  The consultation aims to gather views on measuring creativity from all those potentially affected, using a consultation form and via the Twitter hashtag  #creativemeasures. It is recognised that some sectors will be more affected than  others and consultees are invited to suggest alternatives, supported by evidence-based argument.