Culture Minister Pledges 1 Million New Jobs for UK Creative Industries

The UK creative industries will get a 1 million job boost adding £50bn in value to the sector by 2030, according to the culture minister. 

Outlining the government’s plans in London today, UK culture secretary Lucy Frazer will detail the government’s investment blueprint, which is expected to focus on expanding “clusters” of specialist companies in different parts of the UK in sectors such as gaming and film, and on developing skilled workers.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has already earmarked the creative industries as one of the “pillars of the economy” that he will continue to prioritise. Others include technology, green industries, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

Frazer will tell the Deloitte and Enders media and telecoms conference this morning that the government “can do more tangible things to support our creatives” but also warned of the threat of increasing global competition. “We cannot afford to be complacent,” she is expected to say.

Sjuul van der Leeuw, CEO of Deployteq, commented: “The creative industries are at a really exciting stage with technological innovation revolutionising areas such as marketing and creative production, so it’s fantastic to see the UK’s commitment to supporting this growth.”

“Creating one million jobs to work hand in hand with emerging technologies in the creative industries can turbocharge the sector’s growth, adding significant value for businesses and the wider economy. Onboarding and training highly skilled staff adds a new dimension to businesses’ creative offerings as well as their capacity to develop and implement automation-enabled technologies to boost the efficiency of critical processes and reach new audiences through means such as email marketing” he added.

Additionally, it is understood that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is developing the plan for growth of the sector across the UK. Frazer will say that the government will support skills, ranging from music and extracurricular activities for primary school children to boot camps and apprenticeships for those seeking jobs or returning to the workforce.