The report presents new evidence from official sources of labour market information (LMI) and examines employers’ perspectives on the picture and patterns of skills mismatches in the sector. 

Key report findings include:

• 65% of ‘hard-to-fill’ vacancies in the creative industries are attributable to skills shortages, compared with just 41% of ‘hard-to-fill’ vacancies across all sectors.
• Skills shortages are most pronounced for higher-skilled roles, with 78% of creative industries employers experiencing such deficiencies (in the three highest occupations), compared with 31% across all industries.
• Creative industries employers are more likely to report having to delay developing new products or services because of the skills shortages they face.
• Skills gaps among the existing creative industries workforce are on the rise, as the sector struggles to get to grips with rapid technological advancement and innovation. In 2022, nearly 60,000 creative industries workers were not fully proficient for their roles – an increase of 15,000 workers since 2017.
• Skills gaps caused by the introduction of new technology (including but not limited to AI) and the development of new products and services are a particular challenge for creative businesses.