As the dust settles on the UK government\u2019s Immigration White Paper, the creative industries reflect on what tighter restrictions might mean.\u00a0 New research published today, outlines how important it is that the migration system works to meet the sector\u2019s needs as one of the Government\u2019s priority growth sectors. From architecture to video games and digital design, the sector is internationally connected, innovation-driven, and highly reliant on an exceptionally skilled workforce (with over 75% of workers having a degree), while also facing big skills shortages.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) is the first to fill the evidence gap in relation to migration, creative occupations and creative industries, by providing detailed statistics on sector trends, rates of growth, country of origin and distribution across the UK.<\/p>\n
The report findings:<\/p>\n
Hasan Bakhshi, Director, Creative PEC says: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cReliant on high-skilled talent, but facing skills gaps and shortages, the creative industries employ disproportionately high numbers of migrant workers. As the UK Government looks to implement the commitments in its recent immigration white paper, it\u2019s vital that it ensures the migration system is calibrated to the needs of the creative industries \u2013 one of the priority growth sectors in the UK\u2019s industrial strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Sara Maioli, Lead Report Author, Newcastle University says: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe UK\u2019s creative industries continue to be a global success story, drawing talent from across the world and contributing \u00a3124bn in GVA in 2023.\u00a0 The evidence points to sustained growth in the creative industries being supported by skilled immigration. Any modern migration system must achieve sustainable net rates while allowing strategic sectors to attract the global talent needed to foster innovation and growth. This balancing act is made even more difficult by pressures that have a cross-sectoral dimension.\u201d<\/p>\n The report emphasises distinctive features of the creative industries that must be considered in relation to migration policy:<\/p>\n In response to the research findings the Creative PEC recommends:<\/p>\n The report \u2018Migration in UK Creative Occupations and Industries\u2019 is by Dr Sara Maioli, Dr Daniel Simandjuntak, Dr Jonathan Jones and Professor Giorgio Fazio of Newcastle University. The report is published by the Creative PEC which is funded by the UKRI\u2019s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).<\/p>\n The report was launched during an online event with speakers including Dr Madeleine Sumption MBE, Director of The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford, as well as Deputy Chair of the Migration Advisory Council, and Marta Foresti, founder and CEO of LAGO a research and creative collective on migration, culture and the arts who was recently announced Chair of the Global Creative Economy Council.<\/p>\n Download the report: \u2018Migration in UK Creative Occupations and Industries\u2019 \u00a0https:\/\/pec.ac.uk\/state_of_the_nation\/migration-in-uk-creative-occupations-and-industries\/<\/a><\/p>\n The report: \u2018Migration in UK Creative Occupations and Industries\u2019 is published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, which is led by Newcastle University with the Royal Society of Arts and funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).<\/p>\n The research team and spokespeople for the Creative PEC are available for comment and interview.<\/p>\n Press contacts<\/p>\n Alice Kent alice.kent@pec.ac.uk<\/a> (Monday-Wednesday) and Simon Jones (Thursday – Friday) simon.jones@pec.ac.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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