Expansion needed in UK's Creative Industries workforce: Goal for 250,000 additional hires from working-class communities to match broader economic diversity.

Expansion needed in UK's Creative Industries workforce: Goal for 250,000 additional hires from working-class communities to match broader economic diversity.

Title: Igniting an Inclusive Renaissance: A Decade-Long Strategy for Breaking Barriers in the Creative Industries

The latest research reveals a staggering shortage of working-class personas in the UK's bustling artistic landscape - a deficit equivalent to the combined creative workforce of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC), with support from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), has unearthed this glaring class exclusion in the sector.

Their findings indicate that other industries fall far behind the creative sector when it comes to class balance. Moreover, the likelihood of a working-class individual landing a creative role remains stagnant since 2014. Creative roles, such as architects, journalists, and editors, musicians, artists, producers, and directors, occupy the most elite spaces in the economy - even surpassing the positions of management consultants or stockbrokers.

To shed light on the intricacies of this social divide, the PEC undertook an extensive nine-month inquiry, comprising over 150 interviews with stakeholders, businesses, and individuals with personal experiences of class discrimination in the creative sector. Most notably, they detailed their findings in a 'call to action' for industry and government to prioritize socio-economic diversity within the creative industries as part of broader efforts to 'Level Up' the UK economy.

The PEC's proposed solution: A 10-year, 10-point Social Mobility Plan, designed to eliminate structural inequalities and facilitate systemic change. This strategy encompasses a wide range of priorities, beginning with early-life interventions and progressing through to workplace practices in creative businesses. These priorities are rooted in the need for change from government, educators, and leaders in the creative industry.

Government representatives emphasize the importance of ensuring widespread access to opportunities in high-growth, high-skill sectors like the Creative Industries. They plan to scrutinize the findings of this report to bring about positive change and foster inclusivity in the industry.

But the problem isn't new, and it won't be solved overnight. The PEC warns that their research provides definitive evidence on the causes of class barriers, but the roadmap for addressing the crisis remains open. To tackle this systemic issue, it calls on policymakers, organizations, institutions, and individuals to rise to the challenge of catalyzing meaningful change.

For the PEC team, this begins with Heather Carey (Director of Work Advance) and Dave O'Brien (Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Edinburgh), who are available for interviews. To learn more, delve into the summary of key findings and the full report, titled "Social mobility in the creative economy: rebuilding and levelling up."

Press Contact: Anna Zabow, Communications Manager of the PEC. 07713 619077 / [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

1. The research forms part of a three-year program, conducted in partnership with the Social Mobility Commission and Creative Industries Federation. Supported by funding from DCMS, this investigation draws on fresh data from the Labour Force Survey and explores the impacts of COVID-19 on social mobility in creative roles. Researchers also engaged in over 150 interviews with industry stakeholders, businesses, and workers with lived experiences of class-based disadvantage in the creative sector, across four sectors: Advertising, Fashion, Publishing, and Screen.

[1] Discover the report for the full 10-point Social Mobility Plan.[5] Engage in early life interventions and ensure creative education for all.[6] Endorse employer practices that encourage socio-economic diversity.

1. The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre's research reveals a significant shortage of working-class individuals in the UK's creative industries, comparable to the combined workforce of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
2. The creative sector has a more pronounced class imbalance compared to other industries, as the likelihood of a working-class individual landing a creative role remains stagnant since 2014.
3. The PEC's research outlines the need for socio-economic diversity in the creative industries as part of efforts to level up the UK economy.
4. The proposed solution from the PEC is a 10-year, 10-point Social Mobility Plan aimed at eliminating structural inequalities and facilitating systemic change.
5. This strategy includes early-life interventions and creative education for all, as well as endorsing employer practices that encourage socio-economic diversity.
6. Government representatives are planning to scrutinize the PEC's findings to bring about positive change and foster inclusivity in the creative industry.
7. To tackle this systemic issue, the PEC calls on policymakers, organizations, institutions, and individuals to catalyze meaningful change.
8. The PEC team, including Heather Carey and Dave O'Brien, are available for interviews for further information.
9. The report also delves into the impacts of COVID-19 on social mobility in creative roles, drawing on fresh data from the Labour Force Survey.
10. Researchers engaged in over 150 interviews with industry stakeholders, businesses, and workers with lived experiences of class-based disadvantage in the creative sector, across four sectors: Advertising, Fashion, Publishing, and Screen.

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