Creative UK has launched a new report calling for ‘urgent’ reform and enhanced support structures for freelancers in the Cultural and Creative Industries.
Forging Freelance Futures, available to download at https://freelance.wearecreative.uk/, is based on a survey of 1272 freelancers and 221 organisations that work with freelancers, as well as a series of regional focus groups.
The research highlights the numerous barriers that freelancers are facing within the creative sector, where almost 30% of the workforce operate on a freelance basis (twice as much as any other sector), while the report presents a bold agenda for change, placing the appointment of a Freelance Commissioner at the heart of its recommendations. The Commissioner would drive cross-government action to improve freelancers’ working conditions and recognise their crucial role in the UK’s £125bn creative economy.
The report finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a reduction in freelance work, with two-thirds (66%) of respondents highlighting this as an issue. The survey also found that freelancers are facing heightened challenges due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
Structural inequalities are compounding these challenges. A recurring theme amongst ethnic minority respondents to Creative UK’s survey was the experience of ‘tokenism’, where their inclusion in projects felt performative rather than substantive. Several participants expressed concerns that they were engaged to meet diversity targets, rather than being valued for their contributions. Disabled freelancers face barriers to entry, often excluded by inaccessible application processes and a lack of workplace adjustments. Socioeconomic background plays a significant role in shaping opportunities, with freelancers from working-class backgrounds less likely to secure sustainable careers due to financial precarity, reliance on unpaid work and limited industry connections.
Meanwhile, pay continued to be a pervasive issue. Two-thirds (64%) of survey respondents reported experiencing low or unfair pay at some point in their careers – while an overwhelming majority of freelancers that took part in the research reported that late payments impacted their ability to meet everyday payments, from rent to bills.
The role of education was also shown to be a vital area for improvement. Focus group feedback highlighted the need for Further Education and Higher Education providers to take more effective steps to prepare graduates for a freelancing career. Additionally, there was a broad consensus amongst survey respondents on the need to embed business skills into arts education.
To help overcome these structural barriers, the report identifies five areas for reform with the aim of enhancing support structures for freelancers and improving the resilience of the model.
These are:
- Developing talent: through targeted revisions to the curriculum and careers advice, along with the provision of accessible, continuous professional development opportunities for freelancers.
- Work and pay practices: including the extension of sick pay and parental leave to freelancers, providing essential parity – in terms of safety nets and support – to the terms available to traditional employees. Addressing the issue of low pay for freelancers and the critical need to improve diversity across the cultural and creative industries is also essential to unlock the potential for sustainable growth across our sub-sectors.
- Payment protection: through measures to safeguard freelancers from late payments and financial instability, including strengthening requirements for prompt payment practices.
- Planning for the future: with tailored financial products and pension schemes that accommodate the unique needs of freelancers, helping them to secure their financial future without undue complexity or burden.
- Championing freelancers across Government: ensuring a unified approach to recognising and supporting the significant contributions of the freelance workforce by appointing a Freelancer Commissioner within the UK Government.
Commenting on the report’s launch, Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive, Creative UK, said: Making up almost 30% of the creative industries workforce, freelancers are an essential part of the sector’s DNA. They are the producers, writers, designers, actors, animators, singers, and players who set us apart on the world stage.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed so much about all of our working lives – but this is especially true for freelancers. As this report lays out, many who work in this way have found opportunities to be more precarious than ever. We need to find ways to better support this vital part of the creative workforce – and to create new systems in a post-Covid world.
This means adapting provision within both the public and private sector to ensure it is more fit for purpose, incentivising the creation of new products and services that support the freelance workforce, and in the process, unlocking the potential of an expert, committed, agile and flexible workforce. It’s vital that we get this right – for creatives, and for the wider economy.”
Head of Bectu, Philippa Childs, said: “Freelancers are critical to the UK economy and to the future of our world-leading creative industries. But they face a unique set of challenges and continue to get a raw deal, battling the ebbs and flows of the business cycle and lacking many of the protections that employees enjoy. The government must recognise these challenges and be proactive in addressing them if this significant part of the UK workforce is to thrive.
“Alongside other industry voices like Creative UK, Bectu has been vocal about the need for a dedicated advocate for freelancers in government. We welcome this important report on how to strengthen both freelancer protections and the creative economy, and stand ready to engage with government and industry on a plan for appointing a Freelance Commissioner.”
