Freelance roles drive performing arts employment growth

The number of roles within the music, performing and visual arts sector has risen by 4,000 following a series of falls, latest figures show.

Statistics published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) show that for the 12 months up to June this year, there were 280,000 roles within the sector.

That is 1.4 per cent up on the 276,000 recorded for the 12 months up to March 2023 – which was the lowest number since during the pandemic when the number dropped as low as 265,000.

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The rise has been driven entirely by freelance positions. The number of self-employed roles increased by 3.1% from 191,000 for the 12 months to March 2023 to 197,000 for the 12 months to June.

Conversely, the number of directly employed roles fell during the same period from 85,000 to 84,000 – the lowest level in two years.

The rise in freelance roles comes amid concerns about the employment conditions facing creative freelancers.

A study published earlier this year found that average earnings for freelancers in the theatre industry are 17.5% below the UK national average salary, according to the findings of a new survey.

The third edition of Freelancers Make Theatre Work’s annual survey found an average mean income for arts freelancers of £22,900, compared with an average of £27,756 for all UK employees.