‘Troubling drop’ in socioeconomic diversity in UK creative industries

The number of people working in the creative industries from working class backgrounds is declining, according to findings from a new report.

The Creative Mentor Network’s (CMN) latest impact report includes data from DCMS that says working class representation across the creative industries fell from 26% in 2020 to 19% in 2023. It adds that working class representation in the film and TV industry has halved over the last 40 years.

The London-based network and charity works to tackle the issue through mentoring, industry partnerships and direct support for young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Its impact report says that, in 2024, it ran 14 mentoring programmes with 50 leading creative businesses, supported 317 young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds through mentoring opportunities and helped 129 mentees gain work experience or employment. The network says it has matched over 2,000 mentoring pairs since its formation in 2014.

“The growth we saw in the last year continues to illustrate the positive impact mentoring can have,” the report adds. “Not only did more of the young people we work with develop skills and networks to help them, they felt a career in the creative industry was accessible, thanks to the confidence instilled in them by their mentors.”

CMN is urging other creative companies to invest in socioeconomic diversity initiatives, rethink hiring practices to break down barriers to entry and support mentoring and training programmes for new talent.

Katie Thomson-Greene, CEO of the network, says the “class ceiling” is both unfair and holding back innovation and creativity.

“Our data proves that mentoring works, but real change needs a collective effort from industry leaders, businesses and policymakers,” she added.

Dual benefits

CMN says its mentoring programme helped the young people involved increase their knowledge of roles and career paths in the creative industry, understand the companies that are right for them and gave them confidence to see the sector as a viable career pathway.

The impact report says the number of young people who feel the industry is accessible to them nearly doubled over the mentoring programme.

“This improvement is a result of mentees learning more about the industry, being able to recognise and value their skills and overall building their confidence with the help of their mentors,” the report adds.

There are also a number of benefits for the mentors involved, the report continues, including gaining skills in management and coaching.

Almost all (97%) of the mentors said they felt confident advocating for socioeconomic diversity within the workplace, while 94% felt motivated to contribute to their company’s diversity and inclusion strategy.

“The training our mentors undertake ensures they have the skills to create change beyond their mentoring relationship, and ultimately to become advocates within their workplaces,” the report adds. “This way we can ensure we are not just supporting recruitment, but also retention.”

Skills shortage

CMN’s impact report coincides with publication of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s (Creative PEC) latest report, which says the UK government’s growth ambitions are threatened by widening skills gaps in the creative industries.

The report, Skills Mismatches in the UK’s Creative Industries, says the education and skills system has not been supported enough to keep pace with the UK government’s prioritisation of the creative industries.

This is leading to a widening gap between the skills the workforce has and what employers say they need, the report adds, with 65% of hard-to-fill vacancies in the creative industries attributable to skills shortages, compared with 41% across all sectors.

These shortages are most pronounced in higher-skilled roles, with more than three quarters (78%) of employers in the creative industries noting skill shortages at the highest-level occupations, compared with an average 31% across all industries.

The report also suggests skill gaps caused by rapid technological advancement and innovation, including but not limited to AI, as well as the development of new products and services, are a particular challenge for creative businesses.

Heather Carey, co-director of Work Advance and producer of the report, said skills deficiencies are stymieing innovation in the UK’s creative industries. 

“As AI, wider technological advancement and other global megatrends drive continual change in the knowledge, skills and competencies required in the workplace, there is a need for the skills system to be more agile and responsive to industry skills needs,” Carey explained.

“This must go hand-in-hand with sufficient investment by creative employers and workers in upskilling and reskilling, to ensure workforce skills remain relevant, now and in the future.”