Growing number of job vacancies in the sector due to skills shortages

Data recently published by DCMS shows that the percentage of job vacancies in the creative and cultural industries due to skills shortages is increasing.

DCMS’s 2022 sector skills shortages and gaps data published earlier this month shows that 33% of vacancies in the creative industries and 30% of vacancies in the cultural sector are due to skills shortages. These figures are up from 22.6% in the creative industries and 11.9% in the cultural sector in 2019.

The data comes from the Department for Education’s Employer Skills Survey, which collects information on the skills employers need, the skills they lack and the training they offer, based on telephone interviews with randomly selected organizations. Respondents are asked whether they were unable to fill the position due to the candidates’ lack of appropriate skills, qualifications or experience.

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Despite the increases, figures for both the creative and cultural industries remain below averages across the DCMS and the UK.

Across all DCMS sectors, which also include civil society, gambling, sports and tourism, the proportion of job vacancies related to skills shortages was 33.4% in 2022, up from 21.4% in 2019. Across all sectors employment in the UK was 35.5% in 2022, compared to 24.4% in 2019.

Between 2019 and 2022, an increase in job vacancies due to skills shortages was observed in all subcategories, both creative industries and the cultural sector.

The largest increase was recorded in the case of historical buildings and similar tourist attractions – in 2022, 40.8% of jobs could not be filled due to shortages of skilled labor.

In the film, television and music industries there was a 17.9 percentage point increase in the number of jobs unfilled due to skills shortages, while in the music, performing and visual arts industries there was a 17.4 percentage point increase.

The publication of the statistics coincides with the closure of Creative and Cultural Skills, the sector skills council for the UK’s creative and cultural sector.

Initially funded by central government, it became a sector support organization within Arts Council England’s national portfolio and received £480,000 a year between 2018 and 2023.

However, the failure to secure core funding from ACE for 2023-2026 contributed to the decision to close it.

The DCMS definition of creative industries includes advertising and marketing, architecture, crafts, design and designer fashion, film, television, video, radio and photography, IT, computer software and services, publishing museums, galleries and libraries, and music, performing and visual art.

The definition of the cultural sector includes art, film, television and music, radio, photography, crafts, museums and galleries, libraries and archives, cultural education and the operation of historical sites and similar tourist attractions.