Fall in creative and culture sector employment levels

There has been a reduction in the total number of jobs within the UK’s culture and creative sectors, government statistics show.

Data published by DCMS show that for the 12 months up to the end of March 2024 the total number of jobs in the creative industries was 2,387,000, down from 2,457,000 the previous year, while the total number of culture sector jobs fell by 11,000 to 685,000.

The figures form part of DCMS’s most recently published economic estimates, which track employment levels across the department’s remit.

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The drop in employment numbers follows the publication of separate DCMS data earlier this month, which indicated a slowdown in the creative industries after years of rapid growth.

The sector’s value to the economy for the 12 months up to the end of June 2024 was £123.74bn – down 1.3% on the £125.36bn recorded for the 12 months up to June 2023.

Creative industries

In the creative industries – which encompasses advertising and marketing, architecture, crafts, design and designer fashion, film, TV, radio and photography, IT, software and computer services, publishing, music, museums, galleries and libraries, and performing and visual arts – the biggest employment drop came from IT, software and computer services, where employment fell by 61,000 to 1,013,000.

Film, TV, radio, and photography also saw a notable decline of 25,000 roles to 259,000, while music, performing, and visual arts made a slight recovery after a 35,000 fall in 2022/23 with 15,000 more jobs in 2023/24.

This increase was driven by a rise of 5,000 self-employed roles and 10,000 employed roles.

The nearly 3% overall decline in creative industries employment comes after jobs across all nine sub-sectors increased by more than 4% in 2022/23 compared with 2021/22, from 2,353,000 to 2,457,000.

However, the fall in culture sector jobs – which encompass the subsectors of arts, film, TV, music, radio, photography, crafts, museums, galleries, libraries, archives, cultural education, and the operation of historical sites and similar visitor attractions – follows a 31,000 drop in 2022/23 compared with 2021/22.

Cultural industries

DCMS notes that there is overlap between sector definitions; in particular, several cultural sector industries are simultaneously creative industries.

Film, TV, and music as a cultural subsector saw a 12,000-job drop, while both radio and libraries/archives experienced a 10,000-job contraction.

For libraries and archives, this follows an 8,000 drop in the previous year.

The CEO of The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), Louis Coiffait-Gunn, said the falling employment numbers in the libraries and archives workforce were “disappointing but not surprising”.

“Without getting into debates about job titles and definitions, it’s clear that 53% funding cuts for public libraries since 2010 is the biggest reason for our communities losing thousands of properly trained library staff, with 24 services identified in our Libraries At Risk Monitor,” said Coiffait-Gunn.

He added that CILIP is working to open new professional pathways through apprenticeships and urging government “to be more ambitious about how libraries can help deliver their five missions, with the right funding and support”.

Retention of talent

Philippa Childs, head of the union Bectu, which represents workers in film, TV, and the performing arts, said that despite being “an economic powerhouse,” the creative industries and their workforce continue to face “urgent challenges”.

“In July, Bectu research found that more than half of the UK’s film and TV workforce are still out of work, a year on from industrial action in the US and amidst other ongoing challenges for the sector,” said Childs.

“As usual, this has a cascading effect on industry diversity, with [Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic] and disabled workers more likely to be out of work.

“While work is gradually returning in some sectors, recovery is slow in others and the freelance workforce remains particularly vulnerable to loss of work and shifts in employment and production patterns.

“As well as investing in the creative industries, the new government must secure a new deal for the self-employed and freelancers, who make up 28% of the creative workforce and contributed £331bn to the UK economy in 2023.

“We’re pleased to see the new government’s focus on skills with the Skills England Bill, and welcome its commitment to breaking down barriers to working in our world-class creative industries.

“But it’s critical that we now see a sustained, coordinated, and collaborative approach from the government to prioritise not only skills development but also retention of talent.”

A DCMS Spokesperson said: “We will support the culture and creative industries in achieving their growth potential and we will help unlock opportunity right across the country.

“These sectors are world leading, employ millions of people and pump billions into our economy and have a major role to play in our mission in driving growth.”