Crafts thrive but cuts threaten

Craft businesses are making a significant contribution to the economy: £457m of sales were made in 2010 according to the latest research into the structure and output of the craft sector. The Gross Value Added of craft products, defined as how much value makers add by transforming their raw materials into finished products, was £220m. The report, ‘Craft in an Age of Change’ also reveals that the majority of the 23,000 craft businesses in the UK are sole traders, with the development of sector being driven forward by ‘craft careerists’ – younger people who start their businesses after finishing craft-related degrees and are keen to develop new skills and reach new markets. But this growing professionalisation of the sector is potentially under threat from higher education cuts. Although the number of interdisciplinary courses incorporating a craft element has increased in recent years, more specialist craft courses have closed than have opened, for reasons including cost, lack of demand, lack of space, and health and safety issues. The survey generated responses from 2,000 makers, retailers, educators, writers and curators, and was conducted simultaneously in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, enabling comparisons to be made across the UK. It reveals that tourism is a less important source of makers’ income in England than in the other three countries; makers in Scotland work slightly longer hours than the UK average and are more likely to be using internet selling channels; in Wales there are more ‘career changers’ taking up craft as a profession in mid-life than elsewhere; and makers in Northern Ireland are more likely to sell through commissioning and less likely through galleries and exhibitions.