Widening skills deficit imperils UK government's aspirations for creative industries expansion
United Kingdom's Creative Industries Facing Persistent Skills Gap, According to New Report
The UK's creative industries have been identified as a priority sector under the government's Industrial Strategy. However, a new report published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) indicates that the education and skills system has not kept pace with this growth, resulting in a widened skills gap between the workforce and the demands of employers.
The report, titled 'Skills Mismatches in the UK's creative industries,' is part of Creative PEC's flagship 'State of the Nations' series. It delves into the picture and patterns of skills mismatches in the sector, providing essential insights to inform Skills England's forthcoming assessment of the creative industries.
The report utilizes Official Labour Market Information (LMI) and examines employers' perspectives to present a comprehensive overview of skills shortages and gaps within the sector. The findings provide a foundation for a more in-depth 'skills audit' to be launched next month by the Creative PEC.
Professor Hasan Bakhshi, Director of the Creative PEC, emphasizes that while the creative industries are not the only sector struggling with skills mismatches, they face a significant shortage of proficient workers for hard-to-fill vacancies. Bakhshi claims that a systemic change across UK schools, technical education, universities, continuous professional development, and careers pathways is needed to enable the creative economy to realize its full growth potential.
Key findings from the report include the fact that 65% of hard-to-fill vacancies in the creative industries are attributed to skills shortages, compared to 41% across all sectors. Skills shortages are particularly challenging for higher-skilled roles in the creative industries, with 78% of employers experiencing such deficiencies. Employers in the creative sector are also more likely to report delays in developing new products or services due to the skills shortages they face.
The report also highlights increasing skills gaps among the existing creative industries workforce as they struggle to adapt to rapid technological advancement and innovation. In 2022, nearly 60,000 creative industries workers were not proficient in their roles—an increase of 15,000 workers since 2017. Skills gaps due to new technology, including artificial intelligence, and the development of new products and services are a significant hurdle for creative businesses.
Heather Carey, Co-Director of Work Advance, who produced the report for Creative PEC, stresses that skills deficiencies are hindering innovation in the UK's creative industries. To address this issue, Carey calls for a more agile and responsive skills system that aligns with industry needs, as well as sufficient investment in upskilling and reskilling by employers and workers to ensure workforce skills remain relevant.
The Creative PEC leads the 'State of the Nations' series in partnership with Newcastle University, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). For more information, visit their website and follow @CreativePEC.
The research team and spokespeople for the Creative PEC are available for comment and interview. For press inquiries, contact Alice Kent at alice.kent@our website (Monday-Wednesday) or Sarah Abley at sarah.abley@our website (Thursday-Friday).
For the full report, visit the Creative PEC's website (live from 00.01 Wednesday 12 February 2025, UK time). The report was authored by Lesley Giles, Director of Work Advance, Heather Carey, Director of Work Advance, and Professor Dave O'Brien, Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Manchester.
For more details, visit http://www.our website and @CreativePEC.
- The creative industries in the UK, prioritized under the government's Industrial Strategy, have recently been highlighted as having a persistent skills gap, according to a report published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC).
- The report, titled 'Skills Mismatches in the UK's creative industries,' presents findings based on Official Labour Market Information (LMI) and employer perspectives, giving a broad overview of skills shortages and gaps within the sector.
- The findings show that 65% of hard-to-fill vacancies in the creative industries are attributed to skills shortages, with nearly 60,000 creative workers lacking proficiency in their roles in 2022.
- As technology and innovation rapidly advance, skills gaps are becoming more pronounced among existing workers, hindering their ability to adapt and stay competitive.
- To address these challenges, a more agile and responsive skills system is needed, aligning with industry demands and ensuring adequate investment in upskilling and reskilling, as suggested by Heather Carey, Co-Director of Work Advance.
- The Creative PEC, a research group leading the 'State of the Nations' series, aims to provide essential insights to inform Skills England's assessment of the creative industries and guide evidence-based policy-making.
- The UK's education and skills system has not kept pace with the growth of the creative industries, according to the report, creating a widened skills gap between the workforce and employer demands.
- To enable the creative economy to realize its full growth potential, a systemic change across UK schools, technical education, universities, continuous professional development, and careers pathways is needed, as stated by Professor Hasan Bakhshi, Director of the Creative PEC.
- The Creative PEC, in partnership with Newcastle University, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), encourages stakeholders to visit their website for more information and follow @CreativePEC on social media.
