Changes in the creative and cultural economy and funding
DCMS have released new figures on the economy for its sectors (they include tourism, telecoms, digital etc as well as creative and cultural sectors). It looks like these sectors have fared worse than the economy as a whole. Estimated monthly GVA grew by 1.7% month-on-month in March 2021 - 14% below February 2020 levels. This compares to 2.1% for the whole UK economy which remains 6% below February 2020 levels.
Insolvency rates have declined overall from 2016 to 2020, but they increased in five sectors including arts, entertainment and recreation, which saw the rate of insolvencies jump from 3.5 per 1,000 businesses in 2016 to 4.2 in 2020, an increase of 18%.
Museums in the UK have been hit hard by long periods of closure over the last year, with job losses running at 8%, according to a Museums Association report. University museums have also battled with falling visitor numbers and reduced income, according to the University Museums Group report Covid-19: Beyond the Crisis?
Over half of the UK’s arts and cultural venues and organisations believe they are at risk due to the decline in income during the pandemic, a new study from the University of Sheffield shows. Normal fundraising activities have been impossible for some during periods of social restrictions and some artists and organisations are still falling through the cracks in government recovery funds.
Cultural Learning Alliance analysis of Department for Education figures show that between November 2019 and November 2020 the number of Design & Technology teachers and hours taught fell by 7% while the number of secondary pupils children increased by 2%. There are 48% fewer Design & Technology teachers now compared to 2010, but 7% more secondary school pupils.
But looking forwards Kingston University’s Future Skills League Table highlights problem-solving, communication and creativity among the top 10 core skills needed for a prosperous economy. The findings were based on UK employers’ views about the challenges they face to remain globally competitive over the next 10-20 years.
Creative workers have been enrolling in education as a response to the crisis in hours and in jobs, according to analysis by the Policy and Evidence Centre of the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey. The evidence suggests they have been upskilling, taking arts-related education courses to bolster their skills ready for a return to work. And in 2020, for the first time since 2015, the number of core creative workers studying for an art-related higher degree (66%) surpassed that of undergraduate degrees (27%).
Creative England have established a new partnership with the British Business Bank, to unlock new investment loans of up to £25,000 for all subsectors of the UK's creative industries.
DCMS has published a Tourism Recovery Plan, which recognises that the UK is attractive to consumers because it has something to offer everyone – including its ‘thriving cultural and arts sector’. But it falls short of offering specific help for the sector’s post-Covid recovery.