The total number of jobs in the UK’s creative industries fell in 2024 compared to the year before, new government figures has revealed.

Employment data from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) showed there were 2,409,000 creative sector jobs in the year to December 2024, down from 2,419,000 in 2023. In the 11 years prior to 2023, the sector saw successive annual job increases.

The decline in 2024 was driven by a fall in employed roles which fell to 1,713,000, down from 1,744,000 in 2023. In contrast, the number of roles for self-employed individuals and freelancers increased last year to 696,000, up from 675,000 the year before.

Within sub-sectors of the creative industries, music, performing, and visual arts experienced growth, with the total number of jobs increasing from 288,000 in 2023 to 312,000 in 2024.

The avertising and marketing sub-sector also saw a growth in total jobs, rising to 262,000 from 253,000 in 2023. Freelancers in that sector also rose, from 55,000 to 61,000.

Jobs in the film, TV and music sector increased from 208,000 in 2023 t0 214,000 in 2024, although freelancer roles fell from 80,000 to 75,000.

Publishing saw a sharp decline with total jobs falling to 166,000 in 2024, from 217,000 in 2023.

In the cultural sector, total jobs increased 666,000 from 700,000, although self-employed roles fell from 330,000 to 319,000.

The demographics of the creative and cultural industries

Demographic data for the creative industries showed 17% jobs were disabled people, and 37.4% were female workers at 37.4%.

Ethnicity figures showed 82.7% of jobs were held by people from the white ethnic group, 9.9% from the Asian or Asian British ethnic group, 2.8% from the black, African, Caribbean or black British ethnic group, 2.3% from the mixed or multiple ethnic group and 2.3% from other ethnic groups.

In the cultural sector, the following applied:

• 20% of jobs were held by disabled people and 44.5% by female workers.
• the share of jobs held by people from the white ethnic group was 87.9%, 4.0% from the Asian or Asian British ethnic group, 3.7% from the black, African, Caribbean or black British ethnic group, 2.9% from the mixed or multiple ethnic group and 1.5% from other ethnic groups.

Creative industries employment in the south west

Of the 2,409,000 jobs in the creative industries, 7.3% (178,000) were located in the South West. This is an increase on the 169,000 south west jobs in 2023.

London still dominates the sector though, with the capital home to 30.4% of creative industries jobs. The second biggest region was the South East with 16.4%.

See the full creative industries employment data here.

Freelancers in the creative and cultural sectors

Freelancers have long been a significant proportion of the creative and cultural sectors, representing around a third of all workers and more than double that in the overall economy.

In the creative industries sector plan released in June, the government committed to appointing a “freelancer champion” to advocate for freelancers.

Earlier this month, Creative UK published a paper outlining a vision for the freelancer champion role.

The key ask was the launch of formal and structured inquiries into the major systemic barriers freelancers face, such as unfair pay, lack of employment protection and late payment. It also called for:

• modernising SOC/SIC codes and developing new data models to accurately map freelance employment patterns. 
• Ensuring freelance workers can access skills programmes and continued professional development.
• Proposing modifications to financial services regulation, ensuring freelancers are fairly assessed for mortgages, business loans and credit.  
• Exploring policy incentives for retirement savings amongst freelancers.

The workplace trends you need to know to attract and engage the next generation of your workforce

The creative industries are facing a rapidly shifting employment landscape driven by technological innovation and evolving generational expectations. Businesses that adapt to these changes will thrive; those that don’t risk falling behind.

At an event in the Bristol office of Bristol Creative Industries member RWK Goodman on 11 September, Alice Macleod, a specialist in human behaviour and social science, will deliver a dynamic and thought-provoking session on how shifting societal norms and AI are remoulding work environments and workflows.

Tailored specifically for professionals across creative disciplines, this session will unpack the latest workplace trends, explore how AI is reshaping roles and processes and offer concrete strategies to stay ahead.

You’ll also hear from Marissa Lewis-Peart, BCI board member and senior UX designer at Tesco, and Katie Green from Western Training Provider Network (WTPN) in an exciting fireside chat, where we will be exploring driving ambition and progression, from an employee and national business perspective.

Register for the event here.

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About Bristol Creative Industries

Bristol Creative Industries is the membership network that supports the region's creative sector to learn, grow and connect, driven by the common belief that we can achieve more collectively than alone.