Q4 2019

22 | Q4 2019 While manufacturing falters, creative industries in the UK are continuing to grow, boosted by the success of specialised small businesses. Alison Brinkworth talks to companies that are at the heart of this success story. Sustained growth in the UK’s creative industries has seen it become a global leader with new jobs being developed faster than any other sector in the country. Generating more than £100 billion a year to the UK economy, creative industries now employ more than 2 million people - 6% of all jobs in the UK and 75 per cent of those are outside London. The rise of Britain’s creative industries These government figures from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) speak for themselves as between 2011 and 2018, creative industries jobs have increased by 30.6%, which is three times the growth rate of employment in the UK overall. It’s an eclectic sector with services spanning from architecture to IT software, publishing, advertising and marketing, along with museums, photography, film, music and visual or performing arts. Defined officially as “industries that have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property”, the UK is proving to have a wealth of talent and expertise that can also be a valuable export. Due to the nature of the work, that often involves self-employed individuals or SMEs.