Employment within the UK Creative Industries sector has increased five times faster than the national average, according to latest figures published by the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

The Creative Industries: Focus on Employment report builds on the findings of the Creative Industries Economic Estimates published in January 2014, which revealed the Creative Industries contribute more than £8 million per hour to the UK economy, and generate more than £70 billion a year, and is outperforming all other sectors of UK.

The report provides more detailed information on employment within the creative industries by sector, region and Devolved Administration, as well as a range of additional measures.

Key findings include:

• Over the last three years, employment within the creative industries has grown at five times the rate of the wider UK economy
• Employment within the sector has increased by more than 10 per cent since 2011
• Creative Industries now account for 1 in 18 (5.6 per cent)of all jobs in the UK
• 1 in every 10 jobs held by graduates in the UK was in the creative industries
• Between 2011 and 2013, within the creative industries, there were increases in jobs of greater than 20 per cent in the East of England (27.1 per cent), the East Midlands (25.0 per cent), the West Midlands (20.6 per cent) and the Yorkshire and Humber (20.1 per cent).

The report’s snapshot of each UK region identifies which sub-sectors they are performing strongly in, and how they contribute to the overall strong growth the collective creative industries are currently experiencing.

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid described the UK’s Creative Industries as “a huge success story” and powerful force in driving economic growth. “These figures demonstrate the sector is punching well above its weight and Government is committed to ensuring the right conditions are in place to allow the sector to continue to flourish,” he confirmed.

Caroline Norbury, CEO of Creative England, said the UK was a true powerhouse of creativity and the report’s figures were a testament to that. “We know that there is an enormous pool of talented individuals and businesses that are based outside of the M25, so it is extremely encouraging to see a significant increase in employment in the regions and a fairer spread of opportunities for people in the creative industries,” he added.

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