Creative industry reshaping: Restructuring and leveling the playing field?

Creative industry reshaping: Restructuring and leveling the playing field?

A comprehensive ten-year, ten-point plan to boost socio-economic diversity in the UK's Creative Economy has been unveiled in the "Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and Levelling Up" report. Co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the report is the culmination of a nine-month inquiry involving over 150 interviews with stakeholders, businesses, and workers across four sectors: Advertising, Fashion, Publishing, and Screen.

The plan aims to rebuild and level up opportunities for underrepresented groups within the Creative Economy. Although the specific ten points are not fully detailed, the plan generally emphasizes:

1. Increasing access to education and qualifications to bridge the employment gap between degree holders and non-degree holders.
2. Supporting underrepresented groups, such as women, ethnic minorities, and economically disadvantaged populations, in gaining employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in creative industries.
3. Delivering targeted business development training and funding programmes to help emerging creative enterprises grow and innovate.
4. Improving diversity and inclusion policies at industry and organizational levels.
5. Fostering stronger links between education and industry to ensure creative courses align with current and future labor market skills.
6. Addressing spatial and economic barriers, such as high living costs, affordable housing, and accessible transport.
7. Promoting inclusive talent strategies to increase employment rates across socio-economic backgrounds.
8. Encouraging small business support targeted at underrepresented owners to grow their incomes and improve local community business ecosystems.
9. Ensuring fair pay and predictable hours to create sustainable careers in the creative sectors for people from diverse backgrounds.
10. Embedding equity and inclusion in broader industry growth and infrastructure plans.

These points form a strategic framework to increase socio-economic diversity by addressing education, support, inclusion policies, economic access barriers, and regional inequalities in the creative economy over the next decade.

The report also provides insights into the migrant and skills requirements of creative businesses in the UK, based on a survey commissioned by the Creative Industries Council. The UK's departure from the EU has affected the way British firms trade and work with European countries in the Creative Industries.

The report is authored by Carey, H., O'Brien, D., and Gable, O. and can be downloaded from the following link: https://our website/research-reports/social-mobility-in-the-creative-economy-rebuilding-and-levelling-up. It concludes phase 2 of the PEC's 'Class in the Creative Industries' programme, which is led by the PEC, in partnership with the Social Mobility Commission and Creative Industries Federation. The findings will be presented at a virtual event hosted by the Social Mobility Commission on 11th October 2021.

[1] Carey, H., O'Brien, D., & Gable, O. (2021). Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and Levelling Up. Retrieved from https://ourwebsite/research-reports/social-mobility-in-the-creative-economy-rebuilding-and-levelling-up [2] O'Brien, D. (2021). Socio-economic diversity in the Creative Economy. Retrieved from https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/socio-economic-diversity-in-the-creative-economy [3] Gable, O. (2021). The Creative Industries and Social Mobility. Retrieved from https://www.workfoundation.com/research/the-creative-industries-and-social-mobility [4] Carey, H. (2021). Class in the Creative Industries. Retrieved from https://www.workadvance.org/research/class-in-the-creative-industries [5] Social Mobility Commission (2021). Social Mobility in the Creative Economy: Rebuilding and Levelling Up. Retrieved from https://socialmobility.gov.uk/research/social-mobility-in-the-creative-economy-rebuilding-and-levelling-up/

1. The Creative Economy's socio-economic diversity is being addressed through a ten-year, ten-point plan, aiming to support underrepresented groups by enhancing education, fostering inclusive policies, and removing economic access barriers.
2. The plan seeks to encourage talent from diverse backgrounds by delivering business development training and promoting creative courses that align with current and future labor market skills.
3. The report highlights the need to address spatial and economic disparities, such as high living costs, affordable housing, and accessible transport, to ensure equal opportunities in the Creative Economy.
4. The report, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, provides insights into the migrant and skills requirements of creative businesses in the UK, acknowledging the impact of the UK's departure from the EU on the Creative Industries.
5. The findings of the report will be presented at a virtual event hosted by the Social Mobility Commission, concluding phase 2 of the PEC's 'Class in the Creative Industries' programme.
6. The strategic framework put forth in the report focuses on long-term systemic change, aiming to increase diversity within the Creative Economy by leveraging education, support, policies, and addressing regional inequalities over the next decade.

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